Merab Dvalishvili, the world’s number one bantamweight fighter, was spotted confronting a heckler in the stands of an MMA event – and gave him the scare 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 audience shouted some insults at him as Sean O’Malley, Dvalishvili’s next opponent, appeared on the giant screen.
The taunts were enough for ‘The Machine’ to stand up and take matters into his own hands, as viral footage on social media shows him climbing over a door before jumping over to another and finding the heckler in his section.
After breaking through all the barriers separating him from the troll, Dvalishvili walks up the stairs as the heckler can be seen repeatedly saying “No, no, no, no.”
Fans surrounding the couple can also be seen filming the climb as the provocateur has his heart in his mouth.
Merab Dvalishvili scared away a man who was mocking him after he headed to his seat at the CJI on Friday
But upon reaching the rioter’s seat, Dvalishvili takes a second to stare at the clearly distraught man before grabbing his hair and pulling as he finally contains his anger.
Security personnel can then be seen guiding 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.
“Hahaha, the guy shit his pants )))” said someone else.
“That was a million dollar situation,” another user wrote. “Considering it’s on so many cameras, I don’t think having the best lawyer in the world can save that lawsuit.”
Dvalishvili, 33, will next fight Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 on September 14 (seen in February).
Another person joked: ‘Merab is next to star in an anti-bullying campaign.’
Dvalishvili’s fight against O’Malley will take place on September 14 at UFC 306.
Dvalishvili currently has a record of 17-4-0.
He only lost once by submission in his career against Ricky Simon in 2018.