Merab Dvalishvili has opened up about his bantamweight title loss to Petr Yan at UFC 323 and is already pushing for a trilogy clash later this year.
Dvalishvili dropped the belt to Yan in their rematch in Washington this past December, ending a hectic stretch that saw him compete in five title fights in just 15 months, including four defenses in a single year. He had fought Cory Sandhagen only two months before the Yan bout.
"I think a little bit, yes, because it was only two months between the fights when I fought Cory Sandhagen (and then lost to Yan)," Dvalishvili said, pointing to a series of minor factors. "It was small little reasons, like these reasons (over here) and other reasons (there) – I think everything playex out a little bit (each against me)."
Still, the former champion refused to lean on explanations. "But I don't make excuses. He beat me, so now it's going to be interesting with a trilogy. Now we're going to see the real winner."
Dvalishvili said Yan is currently away from the cage. "He's on vacation now fixing his teeth and fixing something else. I think soon we will hear some news when he will come back."
Looking ahead to a likely fall date for the rubber match, Dvalishvili expects to adjust his approach after their first meeting in the Meta APEX small cage and the title fight in a 30-foot arena cage. "… I don't think it will be matter about the cage, but I will make some changes, of course, and then you guys will see the results."
