Dana White Admits He Didn’t Care for Merab Dvalishvili at First: “Took me a minute”
Dana White didn’t think much of Merab Dvalishvili.
After three successful title defenses in 2025 and a fourth already lined up before the end of the year, Dvalishvili is quickly establishing himself as the greatest bantamweight in UFC history.
But there was a time when White thought very little of ‘The Machine.’
“It took me a minute to warm up to Merab,” White said following Tuesday’s episode of DWCS. “I’m very warm now. I love that mentality — he wants to be the first guy to defend his title that many times in a year. What he’s done, how he’s proven himself as a champion — it’s impressive.”
Not even two weeks removed from his dominant defense against Cory Sandhagen, Dvalishvili is gearing up for another fight. This time, it’ll come via a highly anticipated rematch against No. 2 ranked contender Petr Yan. The two will headline UFC 323 when the promotion closes out its pay-per-view scheduled in Las Vegas on December 6.
Dvalishvili ready to run it back with Yan
Dvalishvili already holds a win over Yan, defeating ‘No Mercy’ in 2023. Since then, Yan has won three in a row, besting Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee, reearning his spot near the top of the weight class.
“It’s gonna be a good fight,” Dvalishvili said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “He’s a former champion. He has a lot of wins in the UFC. It’s gonna be a fun fight, and I’m taking quick turnaround. It’s good, I’m busy, and I’m willing to fight also in March. February will be in Australia, I don’t think they gonna give me this. In March would be realistically.”
“I’m fine with him,” Dvalishvili said. “As a fighter, I give him so much respect. Also, as a family man, he has a beautiful family, five kids, and he’s a good father. Good for him, God bless him. Hopefully, he’s a better person now.”
