Who’s next for Merab Davilishvili after beating Cory Sandhagen?
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Merab Dvalisvili in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes
Petr Yan vows a rematch with UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili would go differently.
Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC) scored 11 out of his 49 takedown attempts on Yan and swept the scorecards in a unanimous decision win in their March 2023 headliner. Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) has since won three straight fights and positioned himself for another shot at Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili already declared Yan as his next title challenger even prior to beating Cory Sandhagen in Saturday’s UFC 320 co-main event. “The Machine” wants to squeeze in a fourth title defense before the end of the year, and Yan is game.
Yan was shutout in his first fight with Dvalishvili but revealed there was a reason.
“I think it’s possible if he doesn’t have any injuries,” Yan said on fighting Dvalishvili on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “He’s the one who’s been pushing for it. If it lines up with the UFC’s plans, I believe it’s possible. I’ve been waiting for this chance, and I’m ready to fight in December. I believe it’s going to be a great fight that has history. Last time I was compromised. I was only at 50 percent, so this time it will be something different. It will be a great and exciting fight.”
The former UFC bantamweight champion explained how he fought uncharacteristically against Dvalishvili.
“If you just look at the stats of our previous fight, you can see that I only used my right hand maybe like three or four times,” Yan said. “I couldn’t punch with my right hand, I couldn’t use it to defend the wrestling. So, it’s just facts. If you compare it to my different fights, that’s the hand I use the most. I never really turn down any fights. I’ve many times competed injured. I cannot say that I don’t regret it, but now at least I have an opportunity to change it, to win the rematch.”
