When it was announced that the UFC would be taking over ‘The Sphere’ in Las Vegas for UFC 306, there was an earth-rattling buzz in the MMA world! UFC CEO Dana White further fanned the flames of excitement when he promised, “It’s gonna be the most unique, bada** show you’ve ever seen in sports.” The event is set to take place on September 14 and will be the second time the promotion has chosen to honor Mexican Independence day after the massively popular ‘UFC Fight Night 227’ or ‘Noche UFC’ held last year.

The event is also unique as it’s the first time a UFC event will have a title sponsor as the card has been re-branded as ‘Riyadh Season Noche UFC’. The event is set to be headlined by a bantamweight title clash between Merab Dvalishvili and champion, Sean O’Malley. However, the fight has now come under a shadow of doubt after ‘The Machine’ suffered an injury in training and drew the ire of the UFC boss. As such, let’s take a look at the situation and what it means for the highly anticipated main event at ‘Riyadh Season Noche UFC’!

Dana White has brought more media attention to the Merab Dvalishvili incident

To ensure that the UFC’s foray into ‘The Sphere’ makes headlines, Dana White has pulled out all the stops as he’d claimed to Kevin Iole in a recent conversation, “I’m $20 million dollars into this thing. I’m anywhere between $17 and $20 million right now, and the fight isn’t until September 14th.” But what happens when the main event for such a massive card gets put in jeopardy?

Dana White is rarely at a loss for words, but Merab Dvalishvili’s recent actions left the UFC CEO bewildered. In a sport where every advantage counts, the Georgian fighter made a perplexing decision. Just 25 days before his highly anticipated title shot against Sean O’Malley, Dvalishvili scared the MMA sphere as he posted the aftermath of a cut sustained in training above his eye on Instagram.

A furious White didn’t hold back during the DWCS (Dana White Contender Series) 68 post-fight press conference. Criticizing Dvalishvili’s eagerness to share his injury with the world, the UFC head honcho fired off by stating, “The whole world knows about Merab’s cut. He posted it. Our guys are so dumb, it’s next-level unbelievable.”

White’s irritation ran so deep that he even found himself complimenting boxing, a sport he’s often criticized. He noted that “…when something happens in a (boxing) camp, man, let me tell you what. It does not leak. Our guys can’t f*cking wait to throw it up on social media.”

As the images of Dvalishvili’s cut spread like wildfire online, fans and analysts began speculating about the potential impact on his upcoming fight. Would the injury heal in time? Was Dana White’s anger and comments to the media justified? According to a long-time training partner and friend of ‘The Machine’, the UFC boss may have made an error when talking about the injury as he did!

Aljamain Sterling clarified the UFC CEO’s blunder and the extent of the injury

With all eyes on the consequences of Merab Dvalishvili’s cut on his upcoming title fight, Aljamain Sterling took to X to quell some of the uproar. The former bantamweight champion responded to a clip of Dana White’s comments at the DWCS press conference by stating, “Everyone is making a much bigger deal over “the little cut”, even the boss. Merab shares his stories of training camp, the good, the bad, the ugly, and ppl LOVE him for it. There’s nothing “stupid” about it, period. He’s training, and will show up Sept 14, like he always does… Respectfully, this reaction was a bit over the top IMHO.”

‘The Funkmaster’s comments are interesting as Dvalishvili’s stock with the fans seemingly hasn’t taken a dip at all. In fact, when a recent post by Sean O’Malley targeting his opponent was shared on Instagram, the fans rallied behind the Georgian instead of ‘Suga’.

However, the UFC head honcho’s anger may be a result of what happened at UFC 294. Charles Oliveira was forced out of his clash against Islam Makhachev due to a cut above his eyebrow two weeks out from the event. But how has this entire saga affected Sean O’Malley? Well, the bantamweight champion appears to be keeping an eye out for a potential replacement!

Sean O’Malley rattled as he searches for a replacement for Noche UFC Sphere

The build-up to the clash between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili began when ‘Suga’ took the belt from Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. Taking it upon himself to avenge his friend’s loss and get the title back to their camp, Dvalishvili has been firing shots constantly at ‘Suga’ and even his coach, Tim Welch.

In a recent post shared on X after Dvalishvili’s injury was reported, O’Malley stated “Umnar wax that unibrow  just in case merat pulls out.” Umar Nurmagomedov is coming off an impressive victory over bantamweight veteran, Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ABC 7 in a title eliminator fight. Now ranked no.2 in the division, it’d make sense why ‘Suga’ would want Nurmagomedov to be ready just in case.

However, taking on a short-notice title fight for September after having fought in August might make it a difficult proposition for the Dagestani contender. While Dvalishvili and his camp have reassured fans that he’s ready to fight, the incident underscores the fragility of even the most meticulously planned events. 

As the clock ticks down to September 14, all eyes will be on whether ‘The Machine’ can deliver or if Dana White’s grand vision for Noche UFC will face an unexpected twist. Do you think the bantamweight title fight will take place as planned or Dana White may have to scramble to find a replacement? Let us know in the comments below!