Merab Dvalishvili was easily convinced when Petr Yan called for a bantamweight title rematch between the pair after UFC Fight Night 248.
Former champion Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) delivered an emphatic performance on Saturday when he defeated Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision at Galaxy Arena in Macau, and afterward the Russian said his sights are set on reclaiming the belt now held by Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC).
The pair already crossed paths once before in March 2023. Dvalishvili won a lopsided unanimous decision where he shot a single-fight UFC record 49 takedown attempts, landing 11 of them but inflicting limited damage in the process.
It appears Dvalishvili thinks Yan is worthy of a second chance after he since beat Song Yadong and Figueiredo, and even suggested a date of UFC 313 on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (via X):
LFG @PetrYanUFC – March 8th #UFC313 T Mobile , Las Vegas –
@Stake pic.twitter.com/fn5y0Peses
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) November 23, 2024
LFG @petr_yan – March 8th #UFC313 T Mobile , Las Vegas –
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) November 23, 2024
Dvalishvili welcoming a rematch drew the ire of Umar Nurmagomedov, who has already been named the top contender by UFC CEO Dana White. Despite being labeled as such, Dvalishvili has downplayed the matchup with the unbeaten rising star Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who is the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Ultimately, Dvalishvili has repeatedly stated he will fight whomever the UFC deems as the correct opponent in the form of a bout agreement. Still, though, there’s frustration from Nurmagomedov’s side (via X):
No one is surprised.
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) November 23, 2024
Someone, please tell him
That it looks terrible. https://t.co/2KEOz91SVM— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) November 23, 2024
A coward is a person who experiences excessive, irrational, or paralyzing fear in the face of potential danger, difficulties, or responsibilities and avoids actions or situations that require decisiveness, courage, or self-sacrifice.
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) November 24, 2024
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) November 24, 2024
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.