Merab Dvalishvili revealed what he believes went wrong for him against Petr Yan. Dvalishvili lost a unanimous decision to Yan, ending his reign as UFC bantamweight champion. Now, Dvalishvili aims to correct his mistakes and regain the title at UFC 333.
Dvalishvili, a Stake Ambassador, shared some insight into his preparation for UFC 333 in an exclusive with Heavy Sports.
Dvalishvili admitted that he believes he made a crucial mistake in his preparation for Yan. ‘The Machine’ relied on the same style and strategy that he had used for his successful title defense against Cory Sandhagen and did not adapt for Yan.
Dvalishvili had already defeated Yan once before. However, ‘No Mercy’ improved and corrected his own mistakes from his previous loss.
The Georgian believes he has made the necessary adjustments and is confident he will defeat Yan in their trilogy bout.
Merab Dvalishvili Reveals He Did Not Properly Prepare for Petr Yan
Merab Dvalishvili revealed that he did not properly prepare for his title fight against Petr Yan at UFC 323.
It’s also important to note that the bout marked Dvalishvili’s fourth title defense of the year. Based on how well he performed, perhaps he felt that keeping things the same would result in another successful title defense.
Dvalishvili now admits that approach was costly.
“I defended my belt against Cory Sandhagen and Cory as a different style [than Yan] and it was no problem. I pretty much fought with the same style, same game plan and I didn’t change anything in my preparation or camp, and I just went and fought Yan. And I guess it didn’t work for me that time,” Dvalishvili exclusively told Heavy Sports via Stake.com.
Dvalishvili added that he has learned from his mistakes and is now taking a measured approach to his training.
“But this time I had more time, I was staying busy and was wrestling in RAF. I’ve realized a lot and now I have a good training campaign with good sparring partners and coaches around me. Everything is going well and like I said before, I used to train hard and now I’m training smarter.”
Dvalishvili Reveals Whether a Longer Layoff Has Helped Him Physically
Dvalishvili also revealed whether he has felt a difference physically following his lengthy layoff from the octagon. He is used to competing frequently, so this current 10-month layoff is longer than he expected.
Dvalishvili admitted that 10 months off was not the plan. However, he has mixed feelings about whether it made a difference on how he feels physically.
“I was ready to fight in March again, I was hoping because I know [the UFC told] us our fight won’t be at the White House in June and I will fight before that. Did I need a rest? No, but I have enjoyed the time and I guess the time off has been good because I’ve had more time to realize what I need to do in my next fight against Yan,” Dvalishvili exclusively told Heavy Sports via Stake.
He continued:
“I guess I needed this time to prepare and realize what I need to do against Yan. Two months between fights wasn’t enough when I fought him last time.”
Merab Dvalishvili Reveals the Mistake That Cost Him Against Petr Yan: Exclusive