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Merab Dvalishvili lost the UFC bantamweight title to Petr Yan at UFC 323, admitting that overtraining impacted his performance. Despite previously dominating Yan, Dvalishvili's attempt to defend his title four times in one year proved detrimental.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 06: (R-L) Petr Yan of Russia punches Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia in the UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 323 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 06, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Merab Dvalishvili believes his relentless schedule cost him the UFC bantamweight title.
In December, Dvalishvili attempted to make history and become the first fighter to ever defend a UFC title four times in one year, putting his belt on the line in a rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 323. While Merab dominated their first encounter two years before, this time Yan got the upper hand, taking the belt from āThe Machineā with a unanimous decision.
Heading into the fight, fans wondered if Dvalishvili was hurting himself by fighting so frequently, and looking back on it, the former champion admits that his relentless pace hurt him in the bout.
āI think so, yes,ā Dvalishvili told Demetrious Johnson when asked if his schedule affected him against Yan. āBut, at the same time, I donāt make any excuses. This is what I chose to fight, two months after when I fought Cory Sandhagen. If it was every four months, then maybe, or every three months, but it was two months after when I fought Cory Sandhagen.
āI did rush. I was working hard, and I pushed the limit, and I think I did over-training, too much training. And even fight day, I did sparring, and this time I sparred two top sparring partners. ⦠It was tough rounds. I think I sparred five rounds with these two guys. Five rounds I already sparring, and I warmed up in the locker room, and when I go [to the] cage, maybe I was a little over-tired. My nickname is āMachine,ā but Iām human against Petr Yan.ā
But while Dvalishvili believes he did not bring the best version of himself to the cage that night, āThe Machineā also credits Yan, saying that that version of himself still beats everyone else in the division.
āI think also what happened was, I think that day I can beat everybody, maybe, except Petr,ā Dvalishvili said. āThatās what showed, because Petr was really training for me, and then his style is different, and heās a tough, tough fighter. Everybody else I think I can beat, like any striker or any other fighter in my weight class, except Petr. And thatās what it shows. ā¦
āI was ready for everybody, but like I said, I was not ready for Petr specifically. Because I need specific training against him. Thatās what happened, so, when I realized I was losing fight, and fight wasnāt going my way, I tried to enjoy [the] fight, and this motherf*cker keeps on shooting [on] me, keeps taking me down [laughs]. At the end of the fifth round, heās still shooting.ā
Fortunately for Dvalishvili, he may soon get a chance to avenge this loss. While nothing has been set in stone, Dvalishvili says the UFC already assured him his next fight will be a trilogy bout with Yan, and heās anticipating a summer return.
āHe was saying that heās ready to fight in June,ā Dvalishvili said. āWhich is good. If Petr is saying heās ready for June, of course, he will be ready for either July or August. So, Iām fine. Whatever time the UFC wants. So now, Iām relaxing, because the UFC told me Iām fighting for the belt.ā
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Honestly, I hope Merab is right. The trilogy is what should happen next, and this summer seems like a good timeline. But if Sean OāMalley ices Aiemann Zahabi at the White House, Merabās gotta worry a little bit.
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Merab Dvalishvili lost to Petr Yan due to overtraining, which he believes negatively affected his performance in the fight.
Merab Dvalishvili aimed to become the first fighter to defend a UFC title four times in one year.
Petr Yan won the rematch against Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision, taking the bantamweight title.
Fans were concerned that Dvalishvili's frequent fights could be detrimental to his performance, which he later acknowledged as a factor in his loss.

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