Merab Dvalishvili is expected to make a swift recovery following a recent surgery on his hand. The Georgian athlete, who boasts an impressive nine-fight winning streak in the UFC, has already begun his recuperation and recently shared a video of himself grappling with teammates despite wearing a cast on his injured hand.

According to his representative, Oren Hodak from KO Reps, Dvalishvili will be required to wear a splint for the next six to eight weeks as part of his recovery program. Once the bones in his hand have fused together properly, he can gradually return to training, with full punching abilities potentially being allowed between 10 to 12 weeks after his surgery.

Despite the setback to his training routine, Dvalishvili’s career remains promising, with the bantamweight fighter recently climbing the ranks in his weight class. After defeating MMA legend Jose Aldo, Dvalishvili showcased his martial arts skills by outperforming former bantamweight champion Petr Yan, triumphing in an impressive five-round unanimous decision in March. Following his victory, Dvalishvili expressed interest in fighting Henry Cejudo, who recently suffered a loss to reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in May.

Dvalishvili has disclosed that he will not fight his teammate and pal Sterling but is looking forward to a potential matchup with Cejudo. Given that Sterling is already scheduled to fight Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, a fight between Dvalishvili and Cejudo seems probable. Although he will be unable to train for any fights in the foreseeable future, Dvalishvili is motivated to recover and continue his ascension within the UFC’s bantamweight division.