Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan exchanged heated words at the UFC 323 pre-fight press conference, with Dvalishvili challenging Yan to avoid making excuses about injuries ahead of their rematch.
Merab Dvalishvili assured fans there’s no lingering bad blood with Petr Yan ahead of their UFC 323 rematch. Yet, tensions flared at the pre-fight press conference.
During the Q&A, Yan mentioned Dvalishvili’s 49 takedown attempts from their first fight. Despite thwarting many, Yan lost by unanimous decision, citing his less-than-ideal health back then.
“In my first fight, I fought with him with one arm,” Yan claimed. “He tried 49 takedowns.”
Dvalishvili, clearly frustrated, has heard enough about injuries from opponents after victories. He recalled a similar situation with Umar Nurmagomedov, who cited a broken hand post-fight.
Hearing Yan’s injury excuse seemed to diminish Dvalishvili’s previous win. “Petr, you are better than this,” he shouted. “Stop making excuses!”
Dvalishvili pressed Yan about any current injuries, wanting to clear the air before their next bout. The Las Vegas crowd loved it, adding to the drama.
“Are you going to make an excuse when I beat you again?” Dvalishvili demanded repeatedly. “Do you have any injuries now?”
The noisy crowd made it tough for Yan to catch every word, but he got the gist. “Guys, I feel great,” Yan finally responded. “This Saturday, you’ll see me in the best shape of my life.”
Yan vowed to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title. Dvalishvili’s response? A simple, “Good luck.”
These bantamweights headline UFC 323, with flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja defending against Joshua Van in the co-main event.