Merab Dvalishvili says UFC still hasn’t given timeline for trilogy clash with Petr Yan: “Let’s see when the champion wants to come back:
Merab Dvalishvili says he’s ready to fight current and two-time UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan next week, but the latter is not ready to face him yet.
Last year at UFC 323, “The Machine” was trying to become the first champion in the promotion’s history to register four successful title defences in a year and faced Yan in a rematch. Unfortunately, the bout did not play like their first outing, and Yan had the perfect answer to Dvalishvili’s game plan.
For five rounds, “No Mercy” did not surrender to Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure. He managed to stop the takedowns, landed the better shots, and cruised to a unanimous decision win to dethrone the Georgian.
Merab Dvalishvili is “waiting patiently” for the trilogy clash with Petr Yan
After the title loss, “The Machine” was promised an immediate title rematch by the UFC brass. However, Petr Yan had to undergo lower back surgery, and therefore, the trilogy bout has been delayed. Even now, Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t know when he will fight Yan. During a sitdown with MMA Fighting, he said:
“I don’t hear anything from him [Petr Yan]. He don’t want to fight yet. I don’t know what is the situation. We all see his interview, he was ready in June for the White House but they have already announced the July fight card. They’re going to announce the August fight card soon… They haven’t told me anything. All I know is I’m fighting Yan but I don’t know when. I don’t know the time. It looks like Petr is taking his time.”
Despite not knowing when he will enter the octagon next, Merab Dvalishvili said in the same interview that he’s staying ready to fight at any time, and once he becomes the champion again, he plans to stay busy just like before. The 35-year-old added:
“Hey, this is the game we’re in. Sometimes you have to wait. When I was champion, I can push the UFC, I can tell [them] ‘hey, UFC keep me busy, I want to fight soon’ and the UFC keeps me busy. Now I’m not a champion and I have to wait for my opponent. This is the game. This is the situation and I understand. That’s why I was rushing and when I have the opportunity to fight more often, I’ll still do the same. But now unfortunately I have to wait for him.”
“I’m waiting for Petr Yan patiently. He’s taking his time and let’s see when the champion wants to come back and fight me… I’m training always. It doesn’t matter if I have a fight or not. I’m always training like I’m preparing for the fight. To be honest, I don’t know what’s different between having [training] camp or not having camp. I’m always ready. If they give me a fight next week, I am ready.” [h/t: MMA Fighting]
Check out Merab Dvalishvili’s comments below:
