It’s Petr Yan or bust for Merab Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) saw his bantamweight title reign come to an end when he was dethroned by Yan at UFC 323 this past December. Yan marked Dvalishvili’s fourth title fight of the year after he had successfully defended his belt three times.
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Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) has since undergone minor back surgery, and his timetable for return remains unclear. Sean O’Malley (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) re-entered the title conversation when he knocked out Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250, but Dvalishvili is adamant that completing his trilogy with Yan is what must happen next.
“The UFC told us that there’s no interim belt or there is no other fights,” Dvalishvili told MMA Junkie Radio. “I deserve to fight Petr Yan, and I will have to wait for Petr Yan. I’m fine with that. Hopefully Petr comes soon and we will fight. If not, then however (long) he will take, I want to fight him.
“That’s the best guy in my division now, and I want to fight the best guys because everybody else, I have beaten. Petr Yan is the real challenge for me, especially that it’s 1-1 between me and him, and I’m sure everybody will be excited about our trilogy.”
Dvalishvili himself is recovering from a broken nose, but he doesn’t expect it to delay him. He has kept himself busy on the RAF wrestling mats, as he takes on Henry Cejudo in a main event scheduled for July 11 at Tbilisi Arena in Georgia.
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“My nose is good already,” Dvalishvili said. “I’ve been training with the head gear on, the mask that is protecting my nose, and I’m fine.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Merab Dvalishvili: I deserve to fight Petr Yan, and I’ll wait for him
