Merab Dvalishvili targets Petr Yan in UFC 333 rematch

Merab Dvalishvili has issued a warning to Petr Yan ahead of their third encounter, which is scheduled as the co-main event for UFC 333. Following his loss to Yan at UFC 323, where Yan regained the bantamweight title via unanimous decision, Dvalishvili reflected on the challenges of that rematch. Dvalishvili admitted that during the second round of the previous fight, he struggled to execute his wrestling strategy as Yan consistently defended his takedown attempts, leading to a loss of energy and momentum.

Despite the setback, Dvalishvili stated his intention to pursue a knockout in the upcoming bout, saying, “I want to break his face and try to knock him out.” If Dvalishvili successfully dethrones Yan to become a two-time champion, he has identified Song Yadong as his next desired opponent, noting that while the Chinese fighter possesses significant knockout power, he is ready for the challenge.