Merab Dvalishvili Recalls Moment He Knew Petr Yan Rematch Was Lost

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has reflected on his title loss to Petr Yan, revealing that he realized early in their rematch that the bout was slipping away. The Georgian fighter, who holds a 21-5 record, originally defeated Yan (20-5) in their first matchup in 2023 before capturing the division's title in September 2024. Entering their rematch at UFC 323 last December as a heavy favorite, Dvalishvili lost his belt after Yan successfully neutralized his wrestling and outstruck him en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Speaking in an interview with Paramount+, Dvalishvili explained that he knew as early as the second round that he was not going to secure a victory. After an attempt to enforce his grappling was stuffed by Yan, the former champion realized he could not impose his usual game plan against the Russian.

"In the second round, I came back planning to take him down," Dvalishvili said. "I shot and I really tried and he again defended my takedown. I don’t think I can take him down and I’m gonna have a good fight.

And then I was just fighting… I was striking with him; he got me. And then, second round, I tried to take him down; I wasn’t able to. I was like, 'F*ck no, what should I do now?' And then I was just having fun.

I said, 'I'm gonna have fun and I’m gonna enjoy the fight.' I realized in the second fight that I was not going to win the fight and I was just going to enjoy the fight."

Yan and Dvalishvili are now set to settle their rivalry in a trilogy bout at UFC 333, scheduled for Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where Yan will defend the bantamweight championship.