Merab Dvalishvili suffered another broken nose during a wrestling match against Frankie Edgar. The UFC bantamweight champion sustained the injury while training with the former lightweight champion.
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili sustained a broken nose during a wrestling session with former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, adding another injury to what has become a recurring issue for the Georgian fighter.
Dvalishvili, nicknamed "The Machine," carries a 21-5-0 professional record and holds the bantamweight title at 35 years old. Ranked second pound-for-pound on the UFC roster, he trains out of Serra-Longo Fight Team and has built his championship pedigree on relentless pressure and elite grappling. He averages 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes, one of the most prolific rates in the division, and lands 4.33 significant strikes per minute to go alongside it.
Edgar, 44, brings a decorated career into the training room. The New Jersey native compiled a 23-11-1 record across multiple divisions during his UFC tenure, capturing the lightweight title and later competing at featherweight and bantamweight. Now training out of Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu, Edgar averaged 2.29 takedowns per 15 minutes throughout his career and posted a striking output of 3.77 significant strikes per minute. At five-foot-six with a 68-inch reach, he shares an identical physical profile with Dvalishvili, making for a genuinely competitive wrestling room matchup.
Why it matters
- Dvalishvili is the reigning bantamweight champion and the number-two pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, so any injury affecting his availability carries significant divisional consequences.
- A broken nose sustained in training could complicate preparation timelines depending on the severity and required recovery.
- The incident highlights the physical risks that remain present even in sparring and wrestling sessions at the elite level.
