Dvalishvili returns: ‘Rest as long as you want’

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is already plotting his comeback following his loss to Petr Yan last weekend.

Dvalishvili aimed to become the first UFC champion to defend his title four times in a calendar year. However, Yan brought his A-game in their rematch and produced a clinical display to reclaim the title after four years.

Dvalishvili spoke to MMA Pros Pick and confirmed that he will have a chance to get his gold back. The Georgian added that the UFC wanted him to rest and then contact them for the trilogy:

“The UFC contacted me and said, ‘Please rest as long as you want. Your next fight is a rematch with Petr Yan for the belt. Rest as long as you want and call us when you’re ready.'”

Dvalishvili added that he was not injured much in the fight. “The Machine” also set a timetable for his return and when the fight with Yan could take place:

“They probably want to fight in the summer, but I don’t want to wait until the summer. I’ll say again, I wasn’t seriously injured in that fight. Regardless, I want to schedule the fight early, maybe in the spring, April would be a good thing or maybe the fight could be scheduled in the summer.”

The score between Dvalishvili and Yan is 1-1 after two fights and a trilogy would be incredible. Dvalishvili was a dominant champion since winning gold against Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. However, Yan nullified all of the Georgian’s moves and emerged champion at UFC 323.

Check Merab DvalishviliComments from below (via Championship Rounds on X):

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Joe Rogan hails Petr Yan’s win over Merab Dvalishvili

The way Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili has been the talk of the MMA world since the weekend. Yan last held the belt in 2021 and it’s been a bit of a resurgence for the Russian.

He lost three straight fights, including one to Dvalishvili, and seemed completely out of the title race. However, after three straight wins, he delivered this incredible performance at UFC 323.

Joe Rogan was in charge of commentary for the pay-per-view and he praised Yan’s performance, this time on his podcast.

Rogan was full of praise for Yan and highlighted the huge training camp Yan had this time:

“Damn, what a masterclass. When you fight a guy like Merab, that’s the masterclass. He put on a clinic… His training camp must have been hell, it must have been hell, and he looked like it. I’ve seen videos of it. Strength, conditioning and plyometrics.