UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili says that the preparation ahead of the first defence of his 135-pound title has been less than ideal.

Dvalishvili, who defeated Sean O’Malley for the world title this past September, will fight the undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov in this weekend’s UFC 311 from Inglewood, California — and while he says that he is more than confident of victory, he told the media on Wednesday that an injury has been bugging him throughout his training camp.

“I was always dealing with some injuries,” the Georgian fighter told reporters, including The Mac Life, on Wednesday. “But once I hear the UFC needs me, I stepped up and Dana said yes. I go to the office and I said OK, I will step up. I’m a company man. Let’s do it.”

While Dvalishvili kept his cards close to his chest as to the specifics of his malady, he said that it was more an issue with his training and doesn’t expect it to be a factor come fight time.

“Not fight. It was affecting my training,” he said. “I will post it after the fight but training was difficult because of this injury. But I’m good, I’m ready now. It’s all good.”

You can watch Dvalishvili’s full comments in the video above.