"That's all I want" - Merab Dvalishvili outlines goal for Petr Yan title rematch at UFC 323 while detailing future career roadmap

Merab Dvalishvili recently shared his thoughts on his upcoming Petr Yan title rematch and outlined his plan for the future.

Dvalishvili and Yan are set to throw down for the second time in a bantamweight title fight at UFC 323 next month. In their previous encounter at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023, Dvalishvili beat Yan via unanimous decision after five rounds of action. If Dvalishvili beats Yan next month, he would become the first UFC champion to secure four title defenses in a single calendar year.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Dvalishvili expressed his desire to become the first fighter to finish Yan in the cage 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."

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Addressing a potential move up to featherweight, Dvalishvili continued:

"First, I want to clean out my division. After, we can talk about moving weight class or something like this. Me, right now, I want to take care of my business. I have my fourth fight this year against Petr Yan, the former champion. I want to focus on Petr Yan. Then we will see who will be the next opponent in my weight class." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Umar Nurmagomedov previews Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan rematch

Umar Nurmagomedov recently broke down the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan rematch. The bantamweight contender backed Dvalishvili to beat Yan again and predicted a statement win for the Georgian-born fighter.

In an interview on the WEIGHING IN podcast, Nurmagomedov shared his two cents on the Dvalishvili vs. Yan rematch and said:

"From [the] last fight with Petr Yan, Merab [Dvalishvili] became much better. And his last fight with Cory Sandhagen, [he showed] he's gonna wrestle all night, and it's a very big trouble for Petr Yan. He doesn't have good defense, but he has good arms. He can like do TKO, but if it's not going to be TKO, I think Merab [is] going to maul him."

Catch Umar Nurmagomedov's comments below (19:00):