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Merab Dvalishvili was able to convincingly defeat Petr Yan in the main event of UFC Fight Night 221, winning all five rounds on each of the three judges' scorecards. 'The Machine' shared that he believes the shutout performance will be a learning experience for the former bantamweight champion.
Speaking at the UFC Fight Night 221 post-fight press conference, the No.3-ranked bantamweight stated:
"I don’t care about any other fight - loss against whoever, but loss against him, I should kill myself or something. He’s a great fighter, but he’s a little bit cocky. I love fighters because they’re all humble and good people, and I don’t think this guy is a very good guy.”
Dvalishvili continued to talk about how Yan should be more respectful to other fighters by saying:
"I’m a winner today... I think this loss will make him think more, he will respect other fighters, and he was thinking before he is the best, and he is the No.1, and I am zero. It’s not like this. We’re all human, and nobody’s perfect. You should not treat people like this. You should respect everybody. He didn’t respect me before, but now, he will respect me."
Watch Merab Dvalishvili's comments on Petr Yan below (starting at the 34:00 mark):
Merab Dvalishvili was able to dominate Petr Yan for all five rounds of their bout. He added that he is hopeful 'No Mercy' will be able to learn from overlooking his future opponents while noting that their scrum at the weigh-ins calmed him down ahead of the bout. 'The Machine' set a UFC record with 49 takedown attempts.
Merab Dvalishvili shares why he dislikes Petr Yan
Merab Dvalishvili's dominance in his UFC Fight Night 221 main event bout against Petr Yan was fueled by a personal dislike for his opponent. Speaking to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting prior to the bout, 'The Machine' described an interaction with the former bantamweight champion prior to UFC 280:
"He pointed to me and he said, ‘He’s small.’ I go and stand [by him] like it was funny. I tried to size him up, and then he pointed again to me and he said I’m a zero. He's cocky. Most fighters are humble. I don’t think Petr is humble, and he should be more humble."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's full comments on Petr Yan below:
Dvalishvili's dominant victory over Yan could earn him a bantamweight title opportunity. However, his close friendship with current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling could complicate things. The pair have shared that they will not face each other, which could lead one of the fighters to leave the division if 'Funk Master' successfully defends his title against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.
