What you need to know
- Dvalishvili faces Petr Yan for the bantamweight title in Abu Dhabi on Saturday
- He says he does not regret being so active last year, despite losing the title to Yan in December
- He suggested he could fight Song Yadong at Madison Square Garden in November
- He said he needed more time to prepare specifically for Yan
Merab Dvalishvili told the media during fight week that he does not regret his packed 2025 schedule, which included four weight cuts, according to Bloody Elbow. He lost the bantamweight title to Petr Yan in December and has not fought since. The two meet again for the title in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Dvalishvili said he would happily return to a busy schedule and suggested he could fight at next month's UFC 334, with one exception: he would not take another quick turnaround against Yan. "If you ask me again to fight Petr Yan two months after I defend my belt, I'm not going to do the same thing," he said.
He named Song Yadong as the first challenger he wants if he wins the title back. Song is in Abu Dhabi for fight week, and Dvalishvili said it would be a good idea for the UFC to bring him into the Octagon for a face-off if he wins.
Dvalishvili said he would happily return to a busy schedule and suggested he could fight at next month's UFC 334, with one exception: he would not take another quick turnaround against Yan. "If you ask me again to fight Petr Yan two months after I defend my belt, I'm not going to do the same thing," he said.
He named Song Yadong as the first challenger he wants if he wins the title back. Song is in Abu Dhabi for fight week, and Dvalishvili said it would be a good idea for the UFC to bring him into the Octagon for a face-off if he wins.
- Summary
- Merab Dvalishvili says he doesn't regret his busy 2025 schedule and would fight Song Yadong in November, but not a quick turnaround against Petr Yan.
- Key points (one per line)
- Dvalishvili faces Petr Yan for the bantamweight title in Abu Dhabi on Saturday
He says he does not regret being so active last year, despite losing the title to Yan in December
He suggested he could fight Song Yadong at Madison Square Garden in November
He said he needed more time to prepare specifically for Yan
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- Bloody Elbow | https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/10/23/merab-dvalishvili-willing-to-fight-again-next-month-with-one-exception-following-petr-yan-loss/
Source: Bloody Elbow
Summarized with AI from the source above. Read the original for the full story.