Should something go wrong in the final hours ahead of the UFC 299 main event, Merab Dvalishvili will be ready to step in for his long-awaited shot at gold.
The pay-per-view event taking place March 9 at Kaseya Center in Miami is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champion Sean O'Malley and challenger Marlon Vera. Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is preparing to travel to Florida and intends to make weight Friday morning to serve as the backup fighter, should his services be needed. Oren Hodak of KO Reps confirmed the news to MMA Junkie Tuesday evening.
The UFC typically has assigned a backup fighter for title fights in recent years, but as of yet, their services have not been needed.
