Merab Dvalishvili Warns Petr Yan: “The Biggest Mistake” Ahead of UFC 323 Showdown
After successfully defending his UFC bantamweight title three times in 2025, Merab Dvalishvili is once again ready for action. He is currently set to face former champion Petr Yan in the highly anticipated main event of UFC 323. Scheduled for December 6th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the Georgian star enters the fight as the betting favorite.
It will mark the second meeting between Yan and Merab Dvalishvili, following their first encounter at UFC Fight Night 221. In that fight, Dvalishvili dominated Yan from start to finish, earning a clear unanimous decision victory to establish himself as a top contender. The Georgian fighter showcased relentless pressure and world-class wrestling, securing a record-breaking 49 takedown attempts throughout the bout.
His dominant performance against the former champion proved his cardio and relentless fighting style, earning massive respect from MMA fans. Going into the rematch, Yan is confident about taking his revenge and capturing the bantamweight championship. Ahead of the fight, Merab Dvalishvili has shared that this time he would be more dominant in comparison to the first bout.
“In the first fight I was very stressfull but now I’m more mature…The biggest mistake he make, he don’t respect in the first fight. He was thinking I wasn’t able to do anything against him. Whatever I was better at, I’m sure he’s going to fix it — and I have to be an even better version,” Merab Dvalishvili via BYM Podcast.
Can Petr Yan get his revenge against Merab Dvalishvili?
Since their first meeting, Merab Dvalishvili has captured the UFC bantamweight title and extended his winning streak to five more victories. His championship experience and undefeated run as champion provide him with unmatched confidence heading into the rematch. However, the Russian contender Petr Yan possesses the striking precision and experience necessary to potentially pull off a massive upset.
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Yan is currently on a three-fight win streak against top fighters like Deiveson Figueiredo and wants to continue that momentum. Apart from that, former champion Sean O’Malley is also planning to rematch Yan if the Russian gets the title. “If I go out there and get a win. Petr beats Merab. I’ll have to think about it. I’m not sure if I’m ready to give him a rematch yet,” said Sean O’Malley via his YouTube channel.
Merab Dvalishvili has already started his training camp and was recently seen in a pad session where he warned Yan. He plans to become the first fighter in UFC history to defend the title four times in a single year. It will be interesting to see who comes out victorious after the main event of UFC 323.
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