Dana White Believes Merab Dvalishvili Has Nothing to Worry About After UFC 333 Loss

This past weekend, in the co-main event of UFC 333, when Dvalishvili and Yan met inside the octagon for a third time, the Georgian troubled Yan nonstop for the first two rounds.

However, in Round 3, Yan landed a damaging liver shot that gradually shifted the momentum in his favor. He then took control with his striking, bloodying Dvalishvili once again and winning the final three rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory and retain the bantamweight title.

Dana White Lauds Merab Dvalishvili

At the UFC 333 post-fight presser, when Dana White was asked to share his two cents on Merab Dvalishvili’s performance, the 57-year-old said:

"It was an incredible fight… In the first round, I was like, 'Merab looks fast as hell,' and Yan looks like a stick in the mud right now. His footwork looked weird; his stance and everything were sort of weird in the first round, and then here he comes in the third round. I think that kick to the body turned the momentum of the fight."

White added that after 25 minutes, Dvalishvili jumped out of the cage and immediately apologized to him, believing he did not give his best. However, White is convinced the Georgian couldn't have put on a better performance. He added:

"The fight was incredible. He couldn’t have looked better. He couldn’t have fought a better fight than he did."

Check out Dana White's comments about Merab Dvalishvili below:

Merab Dvalishvili Knows He Can "Do Better"

After the fight, "The Machine" made no excuses and accepted the loss like a real champ. He told "DC" - 

"You guys know I don't like to make excuses, but I can do better."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below:

Dvalishvili is back to the drawing board. Yan, on the other hand, will defend his strap against Song Yadong or run it back with wtih Sean O'Malley next.

"The Machine" can wait for a potential  Yan vs. O'Malley 2 title bout, hoping "Suga" beats "No Mercy" again, then calls him out. Dvalishvili has dethroned O'Malley once and then submitted him in a rematch. In the past, O'Malley has shown interest in a third fight with Dvalishvili, but the American wants it to be a three-round fight, as he calls himself a three-round champ.