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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mike Bohn

Merab Dvalishvili wants Petr Yan rematch at UFC 313 in March; Umar Nurmagomedov reacts

Merab Dvalishvili Umar Nurmagomedov Petr Yan UFC Merab The Machine Dvalishvili Khabib Nurmagomedov Deiveson Figueiredo

Merab Dvalishvili was easily convinced when Petr Yan called for a bantamweight title rematch between the pair after UFC Fight Night 248.

Former champion Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) delivered an emphatic performance on Saturday when he defeated Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision at Galaxy Arena in Macau, and afterward the Russian said his sights are set on reclaiming the belt now held by Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC).

The pair already crossed paths once before in March 2023. Dvalishvili won a lopsided unanimous decision where he shot a single-fight UFC record 49 takedown attempts, landing 11 of them but inflicting limited damage in the process.

It appears Dvalishvili thinks Yan is worthy of a second chance after he since beat Song Yadong and Figueiredo, and even suggested a date of UFC 313 on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (via X):

Dvalishvili welcoming a rematch drew the ire of Umar Nurmagomedov, who has already been named the top contender by UFC CEO Dana White. Despite being labeled as such, Dvalishvili has downplayed the matchup with the unbeaten rising star Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who is the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Ultimately, Dvalishvili has repeatedly stated he will fight whomever the UFC deems as the correct opponent in the form of a bout agreement. Still, though, there’s frustration from Nurmagomedov’s side (via X):

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

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