Coach John Wood Admits Merab Dvalishvili “Tried Too Hard” for Finishes in Title Defenses
Coach John Wood has discussed a major reason that could have affected Merab Dvalishvili’s performance at UFC 323.
Last year, after successfully defending his bantamweight championship thrice, ‘The Machine’ wanted to etch his name in history books by being the first UFC champ to register four successful title defenses in one calendar year.
However, at UFC 323, for the fourth defense, he met Petr Yan in a rematch and lost by unanimous decision. Although Dvalishvili fought in his usual style, Yan was simply the better man on fight night. ‘No Mercy’ landed the better shots, had great takedown defense, scored his own takedowns, and did not surrender to Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure and elite cardio.
It is also possible that four weight cuts in a single year and a busy fight schedule impacted the Georgian’s performance, and therefore he lost.
Merab Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, reveals what went wrong at UFC 323
In a recent interview with Home of Fight, coach John Wood revealed that, as part of the devised game plan, Merab Dvalishvili tried too hard to secure finishes in his title defenses, and that is what they will fix in the third fight with Yan. He said:
“Merab is the type of guy where, if you tell him to do something, he’ll do it. I think we focused a little too much on chasing finishes, breaking guys and looking for knockouts. When really, Merab just needs to go be Merab. That’s on me to make sure he sticks to what he does best.”
Check out coach John Wood’s comments about Merab Dvalishvili below:
Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 is expected to take place after July 2026, as the Russian fighter has undergone back surgery and is currently recovering.
‘The Machine,’ on the other hand, is ready to enter the octagon and reclaim his lost glory and is open to fighting even at the Meta Apex. In a recent video, he said:
“UFC tells me this. I’m next for the title. They saw my hard work. I beat Petr in 2023. He beat me in 2025. But they told me this. I will fight, it’s not going to be the White House. But listen, guys, I don’t care. White House, Black House, yellow house, UFC Apex, or my backyard. This is our fight.”
Check out Merab Dvalishvili’s comments below:
