MMA Knockout

UFC Champ Merab Dvalishvili Calls For Rematch With Former Foe: 'Let's Go Again'

Merab Dvalishvili calls for a rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 313 in March.

Zain Bando

Sep 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Sean OíMalley of the United States (red gloves) fights Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Sean OíMalley of the United States (red gloves) fights Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA) is already looking ahead to his first title defense.

Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan extended his winning streak to two with a unanimous decision win in the headliner at UFC Macau Saturday against Deiveson Figueiredo. In September, Dvalishvili, who took the title from then-champion Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC 2 (aka UFC 306), watched Yan's performance and highly praised the 31-year-old.

“Great fight Petr. I like your callout, and I like your respect," Dvalishvili said. "Let’s go again, after 2 years. March 8th, T Mobile. Let’s f***ing go.”

The pair met last year. Dvalishvili won unanimously during a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. The fight was part of Dvalishvili's 11-fight winning streak, as he dominated nearly every aspect of the fight.

Yan lost amid a three-fight losing skid that dated to April 2022. Yan became the champion four years ago with a TKO win against Jose Aldo on Fight Island but never successfully defended the belt.

Yan has been fighting under the UFC banner since 2018. He has won 10 of his 14 fights, 40 percent of which have been by KO/TKO. The other six, meanwhile, have been by decision.

The fight would draw fresh eyes to a division that has remained relatively stagnant. Fellow contender Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA) mocked Dvalishvili with his own take on the situation. Nurmagomedov is currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC's bantamweight rankings and defeated Cory Sandhagen in August by decision.

"The man you fear,
At the mere mention of his name,
Your body trembles,
And your heart beats faster," Nurmagomedov tweeted."

For now, only time will tell with what happens to the division next

Read More UFC & MMA News

Stick with MMA Knockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA and Boxing. 

Follow MMA Knockout on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram.

Published
Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

Home/News