Merab Dvalishvili, set to challenge Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title at UFC 306, confronted a heckling fan during the Craig Jones Invitational in Las Vegas.
Merab Dvalishvili was ready to go less than a month away from the biggest fight of his career.
Dvalishvili attended the Craig Jones Invitational on Friday night in Las Vegas. Videos began circulating on social media showing Dvalishvili — who is set to challenge Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title at UFC 306 on Sept. 14 — jumping out of the VIP section to confront a heckling fan in the crowd.
“The Machine” jumps the rail, thwarts — what appears to be — a security guard, and walks up the stairs toward the fan. The fan waves off the situation, but Dvalishvili looks to pull the man’s hat before a security guard eventually pulls him away.
Check out the video of the interaction below.
A member of Dvalishvili’s team confirmed to MMA Fighting that the situation was real.
Dvalishvili finally gets his chance at a UFC title shot after winning 10 consecutive fights. This streak includes a victory over former two-division champ Henry Cejudo at February’s UFC 298 card.