Merab Dvalishvili says Petr Yan can talk all the trash he wants, because he’s not taking the bait.
Dvalishvili challenges Yan for the bantamweight title in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 333 card in a highly-anticipated trilogy matchup. “The Machine” dominated their first meeting at UFC Las Vegas in March 2023, while Yan flipped the script in the rematch this past December at UFC 323 to become a two-time divisional champion.
Prior to UFC 331 in September, Yan and Dvalishvili — along with headliners Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev — took part in a pre-event press conference. Yan was on fire talking trash towards his opponent and constantly interrupting Dvalishvili. On the flip side, Dvalishvili didn’t fire back, didn’t lose his cool, and kept things totally respectful — which had pundits questioning if there was anything up with Dvalishvili.
Ahead of the fight, Dvalishvili responded, saying he’s just not going to play the game that way for this fight.
“Right now, I know Petr Yan very well,” Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “He’s a good fighter, but he’s just who he is. He’s always been disrespectful. He talks shit, and this doesn’t bother me anymore. I think I grew up as a person, as a fighter, [and] you know me, I’m just a respectful guy. But even me, sometimes I have like a drama in the internet, people talking shit about me about nothing. I’m just [a] fighter and I’m not a politician.
“But I grew up, I think, over the years. Yan talking shit about me doesn’t bother me anymore, and most important is I have to make weight and then show up Oct. 24 and do my job, and then I will answer, in the fight, his questions. I’ll be winner, and then he will be humble and it’s yeah I want to [do] just this. He can talk, make fun of me, but this doesn’t bother me anymore.”
Dvalishvili has been known to fly off the handle a bit over the years at other fighters disrespecting him, and even fans doing the same at different events.
When asked where things changed, Dvalishvili says he learned lessons from past discretions and realized, simply, life is too short to be angry.
“I think, even a couple of months ago, I said something on the internet, and then people was talking shit about me online, and even my Georgian people, and because I said [something about] one politician, my opinion, and then a lot of people talk shit about me,” Dvalishvili explianed. “I’ve been [taking] personal when people are talking shit. I don’t do anything bad, but when they talk shit and it was too much already for no reason, and I’m 100% right, and people [on] the internet or people are still talking shit, disrespect me, and I’m like, I can’t.
“I’m not trying to like defend myself with that I know. I’m right with my gut, and I know I’m right with my country and right with people, and I’m just going to do my thing, what I think is right. …
“This press conference, like trash talk, this doesn’t really matter because mos important [thing] is fight. [I’m making] sure I’m focusing for the fight, and that’s what I’m going to do.“
After putting the bantamweight title on the line four times in 2025, Dvalishvili makes his first appearance of 2026 after seeing his 14-fight win streak come to an end. Yan has won four straight since the lopsided loss to Dvalishvili nearly four years ago.
With everything Dvalishvili has gone through and accomplished throughout his career, is Saturday’s showdown with Yan the biggest fight of his career?
“Right now, yes,” Dvalishvili explained. “Usually, always next fight is the biggest fight, but this is for sure [the biggest fight of my career]. [I’m] fighting [a] champion, most dangerous guy, Petr Yan.
“It’s hard to fight him. He has all the tools, all the skills, but in the trilogy, one on one, people are waiting for this, and yeah, it’s this is the most big fight in my career, for sure.”