Dvalishvili says Yan's trash talk does not bother him

Merab Dvalishvili says Petr Yan’s trash talk does not bother him. He told MMA Fighting.

Dvalishvili meets Yan for the bantamweight title on Saturday, October 24, in the co-main of UFC 333 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The bout is their third, and it is the UFC’s 20th trilogy.

Dvalishvili beat Yan by unanimous decision at 5:00 of the fifth round on March 11, 2023. Yan beat Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee, then took the title from Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at 5:00 of the fifth round at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025. Dvalishvili is 21-5, and Yan is 20-5, and this is Dvalishvili’s first fight of 2026.

At the press conference before UFC 331 in September, Yan interrupted Dvalishvili, and Dvalishvili did not answer him. Making weight, Dvalishvili said, comes before the talk. Dvalishvili called the trilogy the biggest fight of his career and called Yan the most dangerous opponent he has faced.

A comment Dvalishvili made about a politician drew arguments online from people in Georgia. Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting that those arguments are why Yan’s trash talk does not bother him.

MMA Fighting reported that Yan had lumbar surgery in January and that the operation lasted nine hours. Sean O’Malley said the return is too soon. O’Malley had labrum surgery and fought Dvalishvili seven months later, and he called that his biggest regret. O’Malley said that on his YouTube channel.

Dvalishvili is 35 and stands 66 inches (168 cm) tall, with a 68-inch (173 cm) reach, at 135 pounds (61 kg). Dvalishvili lands 4.48 significant strikes a minute and absorbs 2.98, defends 53 percent of significant strikes, averages 5.74 takedowns per 15 minutes, and defends 76 percent of takedowns.

Tbilisi is his birthplace, and he trains at Syndicate MMA. Dvalishvili started training in 2010 after seven years of judo and sambo, and he holds a black belt in judo. Dvalishvili finished a physical education degree in Georgia and worked construction before he fought. Dvalishvili was a Georgian sambo champion and a European youth sambo bronze medalist, and he was a Georgian amateur MMA champion and a Battle in the South amateur champion.

The pro debut was a majority decision loss to Darren Mima at 4:00 of the third round on January 24, 2014, and Dvalishvili was a two-time Ring of Combat bantamweight champion. Dana White found him on Lookin’ for a Fight, and the UFC debut was a split decision loss to Frankie Saenz at 5:00 of the third round on December 9, 2017.

Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title by unanimous decision over Sean O’Malley at 5:00 of the fifth round at UFC 306 on September 14, 2024. Dvalishvili defended it three times in 2025, beating Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision at 5:00 of the fifth round on January 18, submitting O’Malley with a north-south choke at 4:42 of the third round on June 7, and beating Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision at 5:00 of the fifth round on October 4. Ricky Simon submitted Dvalishvili with a guillotine choke at 5:00 of the third round on April 21, 2018, and Dvalishvili then won 14 in a row. Dvalishvili has won 20 of his last 24.

Alexander Volkanovski defends the featherweight title against Movsar Evloev in the main event, which the Abu Dhabi card books.