UFC Bantamweight Contender Merab Dvalishvili to Miss 3-4 Months After Hand Surgery

Merab
Dvalishvili won’t be back in the Octagon until later this
year.

The UFC bantamweight contender recently underwent surgery on his
right hand and is expected to spend approximately six to eight
weeks in a splint. His return to full contact, including punching,
isn’t expected to occur until 10 to 12 weeks after the procedure.
Dvalishvili’s manager, Oren Hodak, initially confirmed the news to

MMAFighting.com.

Dvalishvili has won his last nine bouts in UFC competition. Most
recently, “The Machine” earned an impressive five-round verdict
over ex-champ Petr Yan in
the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner on March 11. He also owns notable
wins over the likes of Jose Aldo,
Marlon
Moraes, Cody
Stamann and John
Dodson.

While Dvallishvili is currently a title contender at 135 pounds, he
has stated on multiple occasions that he won’t challenge for the
belt as long as Serra-Longo Fight Team stablemate Aljamain
Sterling is champion. Sterling is currently scheduled to face
Sean O’Malley in the UFC 292 main event on Aug. 19.