UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili issued a statement following his loss to Petr Yan in the co-main event of UFC 333.
In the Fight of the Night at UFC 333, Yan and Dvalishvili went the full five rounds, with Yan ultimately ending up the winner via unanimous decision to take the pair’s trilogy with a 2-1 series victory.
But despite the loss, Dvalishvili looked incredible in the fight, just barely coming up short against one of the UFC‘s all-time greats in Yan.
Merab Dvalishvili Reacts to UFC 333 Defeat
Taking to his social media on Monday, Dvalishvili issued a statement about his loss to Yan in their trilogy bout.
“Good day everyone! First and foremost I want to thank God for he has truly blessed me and I am grateful! Next I want to thank my cornermen @funkmasterMMA @DaveyGrantMMA @zviadlazishvili @bigwoodmma for their help and dedication. I am grateful for my Vegas teammates and training partners who always showed up and pushed me to great limits. Also big thanks to my New York team @MattSerraUFC and @TrainingDaywRay and all my New York / Long Island Boys !! Thank you to the @ufc for always giving me these opportunities! Last but certainly not least – my family, friends and fans – your support and love means the world to me ! I cannot wait to be back in that cage doing what I love to do ! I am healthy and motivated and will be back soon ! This Machine never breaks! See you all soon,” Dvalishvili wrote on his X.
What’s Next for Merab Dvalishvili?
Losing to Yan in their trilogy fight means that Dvalishvili will have to wait and see how the rest of the division plays out before he can get another title shot, as he won’t be fighting Yan for a fourth time anytime soon.
The best thing for Dvalishvili would be if Sean O’Malley beats Yan, because Dvalishvili has two wins over O’Malley.
In the meantime, Dvalishvili will take some time to rest and recover, but when he comes back, he could fight Mario Bautista, Umar Nurmagomedov, or Song Yadong if he doesn’t get the title shot.
Merab Dvalishvili Issues Statement After UFC 333 Loss