Merab Dvalishvili has shared a candid assessment following his bantamweight title defeat to Petr Yan. In a recent interview, the Georgian fighter, known for his relentless pace and “Machine” moniker, admitted that he is, in fact, human and can be outmaneuvered.
Dvalishvili lost his bantamweight crown to Petr Yan at UFC 323 in a rematch. He had successfully defended his title three times in a single year, nearing a historic fourth defense before Yan thwarted his progress.
Dvalishvili Analyzes UFC 323 Loss and Makes a Frank Admission
Speaking with Demetrious Johnson, Dvalishvili reflected on his loss, confessing that for UFC 323, his training regimen was focused on general preparedness rather than a specific game plan against Yan. He acknowledged that despite his “Machine” nickname, he is susceptible to defeat.
“My nickname is Machine, but I’m a human being sometimes. Against Petr, I think also what happened was that I think I can beat everybody that day, maybe except Petr. Because Petr was really training for me. And his style is different, and he’s this tough, tough fighter. Everybody else, I think I can beat. Any striker or any other fighter in my weight class except Petr… I made some mistakes during training camp… I was just doing my thing, pushing the limit, and just doing a lot of grappling rounds.”
During the rematch, Dvalishvili found himself repeatedly taken down by Yan, with Yan also successfully defending Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts. In the same conversation with Johnson, Dvalishvili admitted that his submission attempts on Yan were ineffective, allowing Yan to gain advantageous positions and land significant strikes.
Dvalishvili recently sustained a broken nose during training but has opted against surgery, planning to address it only after his fighting career concludes. Meanwhile, Yan underwent lower back surgery earlier this year and has already returned to training. A third encounter between the two fighters is anticipated later this year.
