Merab Dvalishvili Admits Surprising Fact about Petr Yan Fight

Merab Dvalishvili did not have a pleasant outing the last time he stepped into the octagon. Going up against Petr Yan, Dvalishvili was outperformed, which led him to lose his championship title. Now, as the Georgian fighter is preparing for his rematch, ‘Machine’ has dropped some interesting revelations about how things actually were ahead of the fight. 

Merab Dvalishvili Claims He's ‘Better’ than Petr Yan

Dvalishvili recently appeared in an episode of the ‘Beyond the Win’ podcast. Speaking about his last fight, the former UFC champion claimed that he was a better fighter than Petr Yan. The 35-year-old star also admitted that he was not 100 percent fit going into the fight. 

Dvalishvili stated, “What was hard about last loss, I think | am better than Petr Yan. When I took this fight two months before, 1 knew it was risky because two months is a very short time. When I fought Cory Sandhagen, I took the fight two months after, and it was a very short time.”

‘Machine’ further added, “Against a tough guy like Petr Yan, you need rest and then a good training camp. But I didn't take rest and I had a hard training camp, which burned me out. No excuses, but I knew it was risky."

Dvalishvili will be getting a second chance to reclaim his title. In the upcoming UFC 333 co-main event, the Georgian will lock horns with Yan. 

Merab Dvalishvili Makes Fight Against Petr Yan Personal

There’s no telling that Dvalishvili was not happy giving up his title to Yan in their last outing. Determined to get things done properly, the former champion pointed out how beating Yan was more important than winning back the belt. 

Dvalishvili told Helwani, “I'm a fighter, and I love fighting, and to be champion or not be champion is, I already win the belt four times and I'm fine with that. Of course, but I always want more. I want to win the fight against Petr Yan. This is most important for me. The belt is secondary.” 

With the battle lines drawn, it remains to be seen who comes out on the winning end.