Georgian UFC fighter Merab Dvalishvili spoke out about his upcoming bout with former league bantamweight champion Petr Yan of Russia on March 11 at the UFC Fight Night 221 tournament.
"For me, it's more than just a fight. I have to fight for my people. It's nothing personal, but whether we want it or not, it's Russia versus Georgia. I have to fight hard, win and make my people happy. My team and I have to prove that we're better," Dvalishvili said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast.
This is a great opportunity for me. He's a good, but stupid fighter. He better make sure he knows the rules, because he gave my friend Aljamain Sterling a banned punch. And yes - when I met him in Abu Dhabi, he was disrespectful to me.
Merab Dvalishvili
Dvalishvili had his last fight against Brazilian Jose Aldo in August 2022 at UFC 278. This fight lasted the whole distance and ended in favor of Merab by unanimous decision of the judges.
In September, 2021, Dvalishvili came to the fight against Brazilian Marlon Moraes at the UFC 266 tournament. In this fight, Merab won by TKO in the second round. He has 15 wins and four defeats on his record.
The last time Yan appeared in the octagon was against American Sean O'Malley was last October at UFC 280. That fight Petr lost by split decision. He has 16 wins and four defeats under his belt.