Merab Dvalishvili says Petr Yan fight isn’t personal heading into UFC 323
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t believe his ‘rivalry’ with Petr Yan is personal as the two prepare to go to war at UFC 323.
On Saturday night, Merab Dvalishvili will defend the bantamweight championship against Petr Yan in a rematch of their first encounter from a few years ago. On that occasion, Merab was able to come away with a fairly dominant win. This time around, however, the belt is on the line, and Yan will likely adjust his game pretty notably in order to try and get his revenge on Dvalishvili.
For Merab Dvalishvili, this is all about building his legacy even further. He has already successfully defended his championship three times this year and if he makes it four, he will undoubtedly cement his legacy as the greatest bantamweight of all time – as if that wasn’t already the case.
In a recent media scrum, Merab Dvalishvili explained the current state of his relationship with Yan.
Merab Dvalishvili’s view on Petr Yan rivalry
“That time it was more personal for me. Now it’s more competition because we fought once already and I beat him,” Dvalishvili explained. “Every time he was fighting I was cheering for him, and I look at his Instagram, and he’s a great father, and as a fighter he’s always been a good fighter. The only problem I had with him was that he was bullying. He was talking trash about me and Aljo (Aljamain Sterling), about our team, and he was just not giving us respect. That was the problem, but now it’s all good. I shake his hand and wish him the best in his life.”
“I never liked this made-up drama,” Dvalishvili said. “It’s a fight, and we’re professionals, people will watch anyway. … I don’t like this man. MMA fans will watch our fights anyway. If it’s not organic, why do we have to disrespect each other? I never liked this. Whatever it was, it was real. I’m a real guy. Maybe I joke, but joke is joke. I don’t like to talk trash for no reason, and I don’t like somebody to disrespect me for no reason.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
