Merab celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Merab Dvalishvili is already planning a rematch against Petr Yan after losing the belt at UFC 323, held last Saturday (6). The Georgian entered the octagon as the favorite, but ended up being defeated by the Russian after five intense rounds, being defeated by unanimous decision of the judges and losing the bantamweight title (up to 61,2 kg). Even without seeking justifications, the former champion believes he can deliver a better performance in a new confrontation.
During an interview with Joe Rogan in the octagon, Dvalishvili admitted that he tried to deliver an exciting fight for the audience, but acknowledged that he didn't perform his best that night. The Georgian highlighted the recurring difficulty in making weight for the division, although he avoided using that as an excuse, and stressed that his goal was always to deliver a thrilling performance.
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“I tried to make it an entertaining fight for everyone and I lost today. Today was a bad match. Congratulations to him, but I want a rematch. I want to do it again… It’s always difficult for me to make 61,2kg, and it was difficult, of course, but I’m not going to make excuses. I just tried to make it an entertaining fight today. I tried to deliver a good fight for everyone. I’m glad everyone enjoyed it, so it doesn’t matter. He beat me… today he was the better fighter,” said Merab Dvalishvili.
With the defeat, Merab Dvalishvili , already considered by some to be one of the greatest bantamweights in UFC history, now has a career record of 21 wins and five losses, with 14 wins and only three losses within the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Petr Yan secured his 20th professional victory and maintains a record of five losses. With his win at UFC 323, the Russian reclaimed the bantamweight title for the second time in his career.
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