Merab Dvalishvili believes his relentless schedule cost him the UFC bantamweight title.
In December, Dvalishvili attempted to make history and become the first fighter to ever defend a UFC title four times in one year, putting his belt on the line in a rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 323. While Merab dominated their first encounter two years before, this time Yan got the upper hand, taking the belt from “The Machine” with a unanimous decision.
Heading into the fight, fans wondered if Dvalishvili was hurting
himself by fighting so frequently, and looking back on it, the former champion admits that his relentless pace hurt him in the bout.
“I think so, yes,” Dvalishvili told Demetrious Johnson when asked if his schedule affected him against Yan. “But, at the same time, I don’t make any excuses. This is what I chose to fight, two months after when I fought Cory Sandhagen. If it was every four months, then maybe, or every three months, but it was two months after when I fought Cory Sandhagen.
“I did rush. I was working hard, and I pushed the limit, and I think I did over-training, too much training. And even fight day, I did sparring, and this time I sparred two top sparring partners. … It was tough rounds. I think I sparred five rounds with these two guys. Five rounds I already sparring, and I warmed up in the locker room, and when I go [to the] cage, maybe I was a little over-tired. My nickname is ‘Machine,’ but I’m human against Petr Yan.”
But while Dvalishvili believes he did not bring the best version of himself to the cage that night, “The Machine” also credits Yan, saying that that version of himself still beats everyone else in the division.
“I think also what happened was, I think that day I can beat everybody, maybe, except Petr,” Dvalishvili said. “That’s what showed, because Petr was really training for me, and then his style is different, and he’s a tough, tough fighter. Everybody else I think I can beat, like any striker or any other fighter in my weight class, except Petr. And that’s what it shows. …
“I was ready for everybody, but like I said, I was not ready for Petr specifically. Because I need specific training against him. That’s what happened, so, when I realized I was losing fight, and fight wasn’t going my way, I tried to enjoy [the] fight, and this motherf*cker keeps on shooting [on] me, keeps taking me down [laughs]. At the end of the fifth round, he’s still shooting.”
Fortunately for Dvalishvili, he may soon get a chance to avenge this loss. While nothing has been set in stone, Dvalishvili says the UFC already assured him his next fight will be a trilogy bout with Yan, and he’s anticipating a summer return.
“He was saying that he’s ready to fight in June,” Dvalishvili said. “Which is good. If Petr is saying he’s ready for June, of course, he will be ready for either July or August. So, I’m fine. Whatever time the UFC wants. So now, I’m relaxing, because the UFC told me I’m fighting for the belt.”
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Honestly, I hope Merab is right. The trilogy is what should happen next, and this summer seems like a good timeline. But if Sean O’Malley ices Aiemann Zahabi at the White House, Merab’s gotta worry a little bit.
EXIT POLL
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