Merab Dvalishvili believes he handed himself the defeat in his December bantamweight title loss to Petr Yan, and the explanation centers on a training camp that pushed his body well past its limits.
Speaking with Demetrious Johnson, the former champion acknowledged that fighting just two months after his bout with Cory Sandhagen left him overtrained and physically depleted heading into what would have been a historic fourth title defense in a single calendar year. He also revealed he sparred five rounds with two top training partners on fight day itself.
"I think I did over-training, too much training. And even fight day, I did sparring, and this time I sparred two top sparring partners," Dvalishvili said. "Five rounds I already sparring, and I warmed up in the locker room, and when I go to the cage, maybe I was a little over-tired. My nickname is 'Machine,' but I'm human against Petr Yan."
Yan secured a unanimous decision victory to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 323, reversing the outcome of their first encounter two years earlier when Dvalishvili had dominated him. The Georgian fighter credited both Yan's specific preparation for the rematch and his unique style as factors in the result.
"I think that day I can beat everybody, maybe, except Petr," Dvalishvili said. "That's what showed, because Petr was really training for me, and then his style is different, and he's a tough, tough fighter."
The former champion will not have to wait long for a chance at redemption. Dvalishvili revealed the UFC has already confirmed his next fight will be a trilogy bout with Yan, with both sides targeting a summer return. June, July, and August have all been mentioned as potential timeframes.
"He was saying that he's ready to fight in June. Which is good. If Petr is saying he's ready for June, of course, he will be ready for either July or August. So, I'm fine. Whatever time the UFC wants. So now, I'm relaxing, because the UFC told me I'm fighting for the belt."
