Merab Dvalishvili, the world’s number one bantamweight fighter, was seen confronting a heckler in the stands at an MMA event and giving him the fright of his life.
The 33-year-old Georgian was sitting in the front row with his entourage at the Chris Jones Invitational in Las Vegas on Friday when a fan in the crowd shouted abuse at him while Sean O’Malley – Dvalishvili’s next opponent – appeared on the big screen.
The taunts were enough for The Machine to stand up and take matters into his own hands, with viral footage on social media showing him climbing over one gate before jumping onto another to find the heckler in his area.
After breaking through all the barriers separating him from the troll, Dvalishvili walks up the stairs while the heckler is seen repeatedly saying “No, no, no, no.”
Fans around the couple also film the escalation, while the heckler’s heart is pounding in his throat.
Merab Dvalishvili on Friday frightened a man who taunted him after he took his seat in the CJI
But when he arrives at the troublemaker’s seat, Dvalishvili stares at the man, who is visibly distressed, for a second before grabbing his hair and pulling it while trying to control his anger.
You can then see the security service leading Dvalishvili back to his seat.
UFC fans on social media couldn’t believe it.
“Difference between a warrior and a keyboard warrior,” one person noted on Instagram.
“Lol dude shit his pants ))),” said someone else.
“This was a million dollar situation,” wrote another user. “With so many cameras showing the whole thing, I don’t think the best lawyer in the world could save this lawsuit.”
Dvalishvili, 33, will next fight Sean O’Malley (seen in February) on September 14 at UFC 306.
Someone else joked: “Merab is the next star of the anti-bullying campaign.”
Dvalishvili’s fight against O’Malley will take place on September 14 at UFC 306.
Dvalishvili is currently 17-4-0.
He has only lost once in his career, in 2018 by submission to Ricky Simon.
