Merab Dvalishvili Admits He Didn't Change Anything for Yan Loss, Vows Smarter Approach
Dvalishvili says he fought Yan with the same game plan that beat Sandhagen and paid for it. He's training smarter for the trilogy.
Merab Dvalishvili has admitted that his biggest mistake heading into his UFC 323 loss to Petr Yan was not changing a thing. The former bantamweight champion says he used the same style and game plan that worked against Cory Sandhagen and assumed it would carry him through a second fight with Yan. It didn't.
"I pretty much fought with the same style, same game plan," Dvalishvili told Heavy. "I didn't change anything in my preparation or camp. And I guess it didn't work for me that time."
Dvalishvili lost a unanimous decision to Yan at UFC 323 in December 2025, ending a run of four successful title defenses in one calendar year. His coach John Wood has since acknowledged that the camp had the wrong emphasis, per MMA Sucka.
"Merab is the type of guy where, if you tell him to do something, he'll do it," Wood said. "Merab just needs to go be Merab. That's on me to make sure he sticks to what he does best."
Dvalishvili, 35, says the 10-month layoff has given him time to reset. "I've realized a lot and now I have a good training campaign with good sparring partners and coaches around me," he said. "I used to train hard and now I'm training smarter."
The trilogy fight with Yan co-headlines UFC 333 on Saturday, October 24, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Dvalishvili plans to arrive just six days before the fight after training at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. The main event is Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev.
You have to respect Merab for being this honest about what went wrong. Most fighters who lose a title blame the judges or the ref or their corner. Merab is saying straight up: I didn't adjust and I paid for it. That's accountability you rarely see at this level.
The question is whether "training smarter" actually translates to a different fight. Yan solved Merab's pressure wrestling in the rematch by timing takedown entries and making him pay on the feet. If Merab walks into the Etihad Arena with a better striking setup and varied takedown timing, he can absolutely win this. If he comes out pressing forward the same way, Yan picks him apart again.
I have this as a genuine pick-em fight. The 10-month layoff either sharpened Merab or let him overthink. We'll find out Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
