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Merab Dvalishvili will return to action in a few months as he looks to defend his UFC bantamweight title. ‘The Machine’ is set to face Petr Yan in a rematch at UFC 323, and this could be a historic outing for the champion.
Dvalishvili will be fighting for the fourth time in 2025 and aims to become the first UFC champion to defend his title four times in the same year.
Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis reacted to the news of Dvalishvili fighting in December. The South African had the near-perfect reaction to the fight, calling Merab an “absolute warrior.”
Check out Dricus du Plessis’ Instagram story about Merab Dvalishvili below:
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Dricus du Plessis reacts to Merab Dvalishvili's fight (Image credit Dricud du Plessis on Instagram @dricusduplessis)The Georgian-American beat Cory Sandhagen in his previous bout to retain the bantamweight title. Dvalishvili has been on an absolute tear since losing to Ricky Simon in 2018. The champion's on a 14-fight winning streak and has defeated Jose Aldo, Sean O’Malley and Henry Cejudo.
He faced Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili in 2023 and defeated the Russian via unanimous decision.
Merab Dvalishvili reacts to fighting Petr Yan at UFC 323
‘The Machine’s’ decision to defend his belt for a fourth time should be lauded. Fighting four times in 12 months is not easy, but Dvalishvili is confident he can get the job done against Yan.
The champion reacted to the news of facing Yan as Dana White confirmed the bout on social media.
Dvalishvili thanked the UFC president and Hunter Campbell on X and was ready to go.
Thank you @danawhite @hunter @ufc for making this happen! Can’t wait #UFC323 Let’s Goooo ! 🦾🇬🇪🇺🇸
Dvalishvili might come into the fight on a winning streak but it won’t be easy. Yan is a former UFC bantamweight champion and could provide a stern test to the current title holder.
The Russian lost the title to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 following an illegal knee, rendering the challenger unable to compete. He was then defeated by Sterling at UFC 273 and went on to lose another two bouts.
However, Yan has turned things around and is on a three-fight winning streak. His last win was against Marcus McGhee on the Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder card.
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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim
English (US)