Merab Dvalishvili, known for his confrontational nature akin to Sean Strickland, was involved in an altercation with a fan at UFC 310, prompting UFC CEO Dana White to acknowledge his tendency to engage with fans and the potential consequences from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Merab Dvalishvili is being compared to former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, and it’s not necessarily a compliment. At UFC 310, after cornering Aljamain Sterling, Dvalishvili got into an altercation with a fan backstage. Security had to step in as the situation escalated, with punches thrown by another of Sterling’s coaches.
UFC CEO Dana White wasn’t shocked by the incident. He noted that Dvalishvili isn’t shy about confronting fans who trash-talk him. “He’s my mini-[Sean] Strickland. Without the mouth,” White commented at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference. “You can’t keep fighting with f*cking fans. It’s going to cost you a lot of money.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission might review the footage. They’ve previously fined Arman Tsarukyan for a similar incident at UFC 300. Since Dvalishvili was licensed as a cornerman, he could face repercussions.
This wasn’t his first rodeo; back in August, Dvalishvili confronted a fan at the Craig Jones Invitational in Las Vegas. White even had to keep tabs on him during the UFC 311 kickoff press conference when he spotted him eyeing a fan who shouted something.
“Merab’s that guy,” White said. “It’s just the way he is.” During events, they try to diffuse potential conflicts by strategically seating fighters apart, but sometimes it still doesn’t work out.
In 2023, White admitted to a seating blunder when Sean Strickland jumped over his seat to brawl with Dricus du Plessis. To avoid such chaos at UFC 310, White separated Dvalishvili from his next opponent Umar Nurmagomedov, yet an altercation still happened.
White doesn’t believe Dvalishvili is playing mind games or trying to dodge fights like his upcoming bout with Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in Los Angeles on Jan. 18. Instead, he thinks this behavior is typical among fighters.
“Fighters are a paranoid bunch,” White remarked. They often see conspiracies against them, whether from the organization or elsewhere. Perhaps that mentality fuels their drive in the octagon.