"I never liked this made-up drama" - Merab Dvalishvili gets brutally honest about trash talking in MMA ahead of Petr Yan rematch

Merab Dvalishvili recently shared an update on his rivalry with Petr Yan ahead of their rematch at UFC 323 this weekend and got honest about the general trend of trash talking in MMA.

Dvalishvili and Yan have a history of bad blood. Before their first encounter at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023, they traded serious verbal jabs and even got into a scuffle during their faceoff at the official weigh-ins. Dvalishvili ultimately dominated Yan over five rounds in the octagon and won via unanimous decision.

Ahead of their upcoming bantamweight title rematch, Dvalishvili claimed that the two were no longer bitter rivals. During the UFC 323 media day interviews, Dvalishvili said:

"That time it was more personal for me... 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."

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Slamming the trend of fighters trash-talking each other to hype fights, he added:

"I never liked this made-up drama. It's a fight, and we're professionals, people will watch anyway... I don't like this man... If it's not organic, why do we have to disrespect each other? I never liked this... 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." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full interview below:

Merab Dvalishvili outlines goal for Petr Yan rematch at UFC 323

Merab Dvalishvili recently opened up about his goal for the Petr Yan rematch and made it clear that he was looking for a statement win. The Georgian-born fighter wants to get a "sweet" finish over Yan and make history by becoming the first UFC champion to secure four title defenses in one calendar year.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Dvalishvili previewed the upcoming Yan rematch and said:

"A finish would be good. But we all know nobody was able to finish Petr Yan. He has some split [decision] losses before, and I think only a unanimous decision loss against me. Otherwise, he only lost by decision, so he's good. I'm just focusing on this fight: Get healthy, and win this fight. That's all I want. But a finish would be sweet." [H/t: MMA Junkie]