UFC Fans Spot a Major Weakness in Merab Dvalishvili Ahead of the Petr Yan Rematch

Mindset is everything in the UFC. It's what takes fighters far and makes them hard to beat, and there are hundreds of videos of fighters talking about how much it matters. It helps them win, and in tough times, it helps them bounce back. Merab Dvalishvili's mindset, though, doesn't seem to be sitting well with fans at all.

Dvalishvili isn't making excuses for losing the bantamweight title to Petr Yan at UFC 323. He admits he made a couple of mistakes and ended up fighting Yan's fight instead of his own. Whatever questions remain, he plans to answer them inside the cage when the two meet for the trilogy.

In his words, “I'm not going to make any excuse. I was just... I just made a couple of mistakes and I was fighting Peter's fight and not my fight and we'll see.”

After losing the bantamweight title to Yan, many expected him to own the defeat and show some fire for the rematch. Instead, his answer came across as flat. He said he made a couple of mistakes and ended up fighting Yan's fight instead of his own, then shrugged it off with a "we'll see."

UFC Fans Think Merab’s Mindset Could Cost Him Against Petr Yan Again

For a fighter known for his relentless pace and nonstop pressure, that kind of response didn't sit right with a lot of people online. Some felt it sounded like he had already given up his edge, while others wanted him to sound more fired up about getting the belt back.

“He’s gonna get beat up again with this weak ass mentality,” one fan said.

“This is why yan will beat up merab again... soy mentality," one fan said.

“Stop it Merab. Just stop. I prefer to not like you,” another fan said.

“Yo merab just sybau, don’t teach the yungiez your weak a** mentality,” a fan said.

“Merab is literally the whiniest, most insufferable cry baby on the roster. I'm not sure being more like Merab is the answer,” one fan added.

Merab Dvalishvili Reveals Corner’s Confusing Advice During Petr Yan Fight

According to Dvalishvili, his corner were telling him to attack the body during the fight, something the team had never worked on in training. That advice, he said, only confused him more. It left him in a spot where he was trying to follow instructions that didn't match what he had prepared for, and it adds some context to his earlier admission that he ended up fighting Yan's fight instead of his own.

“In my last fight, my corner was telling me something completely different. They were telling me to attack the body, but we hadn’t worked on that at all. That confused me even more,” Dvalishvili stated.

Dvalishvili and Yan are level at 1-1, so the trilogy fight settles it. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.