UFC President Dana White didn’t hold back during his Contender Series post-event presser, but then again, that’s what we have come to expect and, in many ways, appreciate.
Longtime combat sports journalist Kevin Iole asked White if he knew about Merab Dvalishvili sharing an image of a cut he sustained over his left eye while training for his fight against Sean O’Malley.
“The whole world knows about Merab’s cut,” White said. “He posted it. Our guys are so dumb, it’s next level unbelievable. All the stuff that I talk about boxing, what I will give boxing is when something happens in a camp, man, let me tell you what…it does not leak. Our guys can’t f###### wait to throw it up on social media. Small cut, not a big deal, but obviously, it needed to be posted.”
Iole pushed the inquiry further, pointing out O’Malley’s striking prowess and how the cut could now be a target for him.
“And why the f### would you want him to know that,” White asked rhetorically. “It is next-level stupid. Some of these guys are so stupid, it’s mind-boggling. It’s unbelievable.”
Here is Dvalishvili’s post:
You can watch the entire post-event presser from episode 2 of the Season of the Dana White Contender Series below:
Dvalishvili will face O’Malley for the latter’s UFC bantamweight championship in the main event of Riyadh Season presents Noche UFC at the Las Vegas Sphere on Sept. 14.
White has repeatedly spoken about the financial investment the promotion has made to deliver what he has called the greatest live sporting event of all time. White spoke later in the presser about how inconvenient it would be if he had to replace someone significant on the card.
Perhaps that explains why he was so upset with Dvalishvili for playing around with the concept of having an injury that could force him out of the main event. Thankfully, it doesn’t appear the cut will push Dvalishvili out of the fight. As for the episode of DWCS, White awarded four contracts to the winners.
Cody Haddon, Cortavious Romious, Rizvan Kuniev, and Andreas Gustafsson all received contracts for their work. Haddon scored a win via first-round submission over Billy Brand to start the night. It seemed Haddon was the fighter who impressed White the most on the evening.
Kuniev also scored a first-round win via TKO against Hugo Cunha. Kuniev wasn’t the most active fighter, but the Dagestani product demonstrated heavy strikes en route to his victory. Gustafsson stuck to his game plan to be violent and to close space against Pat Pytlik.
The former finished the night with a definitive stoppage victory over a formidable opponent. Romious seemed to be the most challenging decision for White as the veteran was back on DWCS for the second time. His athleticism helped him win a unanimous decision over Michael Imperato, and White called out this trait when he offered Romious a contract.
Torrez Finney, one of the most anticipated fighters on the card, was the only fighter who failed to get a contract despite winning his fight. White felt he hadn’t progressed enough since his first appearance on DWCS in 2023.
The 25-year-old was sent away and told to get more experience.