Merab Dvalishvili Vows to Slap Petr Yan Again at UFC 333: “He Doesn’t Deserve a Kiss”
Merab Dvalishvili says Petr Yan doesn’t deserve "a kiss," but he might slap Yan when they meet for the third time at UFC 333.
"The Machine" made these comments in an interview with Fox Sports ahead of his trilogy fight with Yan.
The interviewer brought up the trash talk at the Las Vegas press conference, where "No Mercy" grabbed the mic first. On the other hand, Dvalishvili stayed relaxed, brushed off the barbs, and joked that Yan hasn't earned a kiss.
Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan will throw down in the co-main event of UFC 333 on Saturday at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. This will be Petr Yan’s first title defence of his second reign after reclaiming the bantamweight belt by defeating Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last year.
Merab Dvalishvili Brushes Off Yan’s Trash Talk
Dvalishvili explained that he was not surprised by Yan's behaviour. He said that the Russian has always been this way and that it's simply what he does.
“Yeah, he is who he is. He was always like that… it was nothing surprised for me,” he told Fox Sports.
“That’s what he does. But it’s all these talks is just talks. Most important is October 24 fight day — who’s going to fight harder, who’s going to win and who’s going to raise the hand. That’s the most important.”
Yan has traded barbs of his own in the buildup. He previously warned "The Machine" to protect his nose because he plans to break it again. The former bantamweight champion insisted that all the talking means very little to him. What matters is the fight night.
The interviewer suggested that Yan seems to be annoying him. Dvalishvili replied:
“I will be annoying him in the fight. But here I’m just chilling,” he said.
When asked whether he would be kissing "No Mercy" on the back as he did with Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC, Dvalishvili joked and said,
“He doesn’t deserve a kiss, but I might slap his a** again!”
Slap Joke Digs Up Merab’s First Win and Yan’s Brutal Payback
The Slap comments go way back to the pair's first fight, when Dvalishvili won the bout by decision in 2023. Yan answered back in a rematch at UFC 323 last December, reclaiming the bantamweight title from Dvalishvili by unanimous decision. That loss ended Dvalishvili's title run and an undefeated streak. Yan now is on his second reign as UFC champion.
It's worth noting that Dvalishvili previously mentioned that he had injured his knee before that fight. Even so, he told Fox Sports that fighters shouldn't make excuses after a loss, and the serious injury is the only reason to pull out.
“This is fight, you know… none of us is like we all have something… but we should not make excuse,” he explained. “If you got beat up… I lost in my fight, and now I’m not going to make excuse… That’s it. If you have a serious injury, then don’t fight. But if it’s not serious, then go fight and don’t make excuse.”
However, the series is now tied at 1-1, and the third bout will be a deciding factor. Yan will defend his title, and Dvalishvili will look to claim it back.
Dvalishvili said that he will search for a finish but expects the fight to go the distance.
“I’m going to looking for finish but most likely it’s going to be decision and I’m going to win this fight,” he said.
