Merab Dvalishvili says he knew his UFC 323 rematch with Petr Yan was gone by the second round, after one more takedown attempt went nowhere. Speaking to UFC on Paramount+, the former bantamweight champion described going back to his wrestling plan, shooting hard, and watching Yan defend again. “In 10 seconds, all my energy came out,” he said, adding that he then asked himself what was left and decided he would just fight.
His conclusion was blunt. “I realized in the second fight, I was not going to win this fight, and I was just going to enjoy the fight.”
The numbers back up his memory. Per UFC stats cited by Essentially Sports, Dvalishvili tried eight takedowns in Round 1 and five more in Round 2, and Yan stopped all 13. Dvalishvili still had a slight edge on the feet in the first round while Yan spent his energy staying upright. From the second round on, Yan took over the striking, and he was the one who landed a takedown in Round 2. Dvalishvili finally got Yan down twice in the third. Over 25 minutes he finished 2 of 29 on takedowns, while Yan went 5 for 9 and did more damage. Yan left T-Mobile Arena with the belt via unanimous decision.
That loss ended Dvalishvili’s attempt at a record fourth title defense in a single calendar year. It also flipped the script from their first meeting in March 2023, which Dvalishvili controlled. The series now sits at 1-1, and the rubber match co-headlines UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi, with the belt on the line.
Dvalishvili has been candid about what went wrong. In a September interview with MMA Fighting, he said he made a mistake by trading punches with Yan. He also said he used a game plan similar to the one he brought against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, and that it backfired against Yan. He told the National he doesn’t regret anything and wants his belt back. “I know what mistakes I made [in the second fight], and I know how to beat him,” he said. He also gave Yan his due: “His striking’s good, his takedown defence is good, and his cardio is good.”
Quick take
The confession that worries me is the mental one. Dvalishvili’s whole identity is the guy who shoots for the 20th time like it’s the first, and by his own account he stopped believing early in Round 2. Yan made the real adjustment in that fight. He spent Round 1 fighting hips and underhooks, accepted losing the round on the feet, and then made Dvalishvili pay once the takedowns stopped coming. Those two third-round takedowns tell me the openings were there when Dvalishvili chained his entries instead of crashing in on single shots. If he can stay patient enough to build those chains from the opening minute, this is a fight. I don’t think he flips it on the feet, though, and Yan has already shown he can defend the takedown volume. I’m taking Yan by decision on October 24.
