LAS VEGAS – Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 might seem like an obvious next move, but the newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion isn’t too sure.
Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) defeated Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) by lopsided unanimous decision to avenge a 2023 loss and claim the title in the main event of UFC 323 this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. With the score tied 1-1 between the two, Yan was asked by reporters about the potential of an immediate trilogy with Dvalishvili to settle things.
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“I think Merab should get the boys, get into the jacuzzi, and then we’ll see,” Yan said at the UFC 323 post-event news conference.
Yan, who was on a three-fight winning streak entering UFC 323, also reminded the media of his trajectory back to title contention.
“Just understand the fact that for me to get the opportunity, to fight for the belt again, UFC made me go three more fights before I was able to get into the contender position again,” Yan said.
Prior to the three-fight winning streak that got Yan the title opportunity, the Russian fighter had a surprisingly bad stretch of going 1-4 as he lost by disqualification in his first title defense against Aljamain Sterling, and then suffering decision losses to Dvalishvili, Sterling, and Sean O’Malley.
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“I was personally shocked by that whole skid of going down that road, but this is just a fighter’s character,” Yan said. “As a fighter, you see when someone loves what they do, and I can tell I love what I do.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Petr Yan non-committal on giving Merab Dvalishvili immediate trilogy
