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UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili is planning an emphatic victory over Petr Yan this weekend — one that he says will feel more satisfying than holding gold.
After the drama and intrigue on offer at T-Mobile Arena this past weekend, the MMA leader is making the short trip to The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 221. And while the stakes won’t be as high as they were for this past Saturday’s pay-per-view, the event certainly boasts what promises to be a thrilling headliner.
In the March 11 main event, former champion Yan will look to return to the win column after an 0-2 run last year. To do so, he’ll need to stall the charge of the #3-ranked Dvalishvili, who has won eight straight en route to the top five.
For most competing in the sport, nothing comes sweeter than having gold in the leading organization wrapped around their waist.
For Dvalishvili? Nothing would be sweeter than ‘humbling’ his Russian counterpart.
Dvalishvili: ‘All I Want Is To Beat Yan Up’
During a recent interview with The Schmo, Dvalishvili looked ahead to his first headliner in the UFC, which comes against an opponent with whom the Georgian shares a sizable amount of animosity with.
In addition to Yan’s rivalry with Dvalishvili’s teammate, UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling, Saturday’s main event features a more political angle, with “The Machine” looking to deliver a victory for Georgia against Russia’s “No Mercy.”
“All I want is to beat this guy up. I don’t care about main event, money; I don’t care about nothing… I want to beat this guy up. That’s all I want,” Dvalishvili said. “He’s a crazy guy. He was champion and he don’t know the rules. He still thinks he won all these fights. No, he get beat up… I’m gonna try to make him humble, you know?
“I just wanna finish him. I don’t like the guy. I have all respect (for) my last opponents, but somehow, I don’t like this guy much,” Dvalishvili continued. “He’s a Russian bully, you know? So, yeah, I wanna just finish him… That will be better than (to) win the title, because this fight is not only a fight, this is a personal fight for me, for my country.”
While a memorable knockout win against now-PFL fighter Marlon Moraes in 2021 was impressive, it was the Georgian’s victory over the legendary José Aldo last year that established his position high up the bantamweight ladder.
And although he won’t be fighting current titleholder Sterling owing to their friendship, a win this weekend could cement Dvalishvili as a potential challenger if “Funk Master” makes good on his promise to vacate the gold for his teammate en route to a pursuit of glory at featherweight.
Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Las Vegas main event, Merab Dvalishvili or Petr Yan?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili is planning an emphatic victory over Petr Yan this weekend — one that he says will feel more satisfying than holding gold.
After the drama and intrigue on offer at T-Mobile Arena this past weekend, the MMA leader is making the short trip to The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 221. And while the stakes won’t be as high as they were for this past Saturday’s pay-per-view, the event certainly boasts what promises to be a thrilling headliner.
In the March 11 main event, former champion Yan will look to return to the win column after an 0-2 run last year. To do so, he’ll need to stall the charge of the #3-ranked Dvalishvili, who has won eight straight en route to the top five.
For most competing in the sport, nothing comes sweeter than having gold in the leading organization wrapped around their waist.
For Dvalishvili? Nothing would be sweeter than ‘humbling’ his Russian counterpart.
Dvalishvili: ‘All I Want Is To Beat Yan Up’
During a recent interview with The Schmo, Dvalishvili looked ahead to his first headliner in the UFC, which comes against an opponent with whom the Georgian shares a sizable amount of animosity with.
In addition to Yan’s rivalry with Dvalishvili’s teammate, UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling, Saturday’s main event features a more political angle, with “The Machine” looking to deliver a victory for Georgia against Russia’s “No Mercy.”
“All I want is to beat this guy up. I don’t care about main event, money; I don’t care about nothing… I want to beat this guy up. That’s all I want,” Dvalishvili said. “He’s a crazy guy. He was champion and he don’t know the rules. He still thinks he won all these fights. No, he get beat up… I’m gonna try to make him humble, you know?
“I just wanna finish him. I don’t like the guy. I have all respect (for) my last opponents, but somehow, I don’t like this guy much,” Dvalishvili continued. “He’s a Russian bully, you know? So, yeah, I wanna just finish him… That will be better than (to) win the title, because this fight is not only a fight, this is a personal fight for me, for my country.”
While a memorable knockout win against now-PFL fighter Marlon Moraes in 2021 was impressive, it was the Georgian’s victory over the legendary José Aldo last year that established his position high up the bantamweight ladder.
And although he won’t be fighting current titleholder Sterling owing to their friendship, a win this weekend could cement Dvalishvili as a potential challenger if “Funk Master” makes good on his promise to vacate the gold for his teammate en route to a pursuit of glory at featherweight.
Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Las Vegas main event, Merab Dvalishvili or Petr Yan?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
After the drama and intrigue on offer at T-Mobile Arena this past weekend, the MMA leader is making the short trip to The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 221. And while the stakes won’t be as high as they were for this past Saturday’s pay-per-view, the event certainly boasts what promises to be a thrilling headliner.
In the March 11 main event, former champion Yan will look to return to the win column after an 0-2 run last year. To do so, he’ll need to stall the charge of the #3-ranked Dvalishvili, who has won eight straight en route to the top five.
For most competing in the sport, nothing comes sweeter than having gold in the leading organization wrapped around their waist.
For Dvalishvili? Nothing would be sweeter than ‘humbling’ his Russian counterpart.
Dvalishvili: ‘All I Want Is To Beat Yan Up’
During a recent interview with The Schmo, Dvalishvili looked ahead to his first headliner in the UFC, which comes against an opponent with whom the Georgian shares a sizable amount of animosity with.
In addition to Yan’s rivalry with Dvalishvili’s teammate, UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling, Saturday’s main event features a more political angle, with “The Machine” looking to deliver a victory for Georgia against Russia’s “No Mercy.”
“All I want is to beat this guy up. I don’t care about main event, money; I don’t care about nothing… I want to beat this guy up. That’s all I want,” Dvalishvili said. “He’s a crazy guy. He was champion and he don’t know the rules. He still thinks he won all these fights. No, he get beat up… I’m gonna try to make him humble, you know?
“I just wanna finish him. I don’t like the guy. I have all respect (for) my last opponents, but somehow, I don’t like this guy much,” Dvalishvili continued. “He’s a Russian bully, you know? So, yeah, I wanna just finish him… That will be better than (to) win the title, because this fight is not only a fight, this is a personal fight for me, for my country.”
While a memorable knockout win against now-PFL fighter Marlon Moraes in 2021 was impressive, it was the Georgian’s victory over the legendary José Aldo last year that established his position high up the bantamweight ladder.
And although he won’t be fighting current titleholder Sterling owing to their friendship, a win this weekend could cement Dvalishvili as a potential challenger if “Funk Master” makes good on his promise to vacate the gold for his teammate en route to a pursuit of glory at featherweight.
Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Las Vegas main event, Merab Dvalishvili or Petr Yan?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
After the drama and intrigue on offer at T-Mobile Arena this past weekend, the MMA leader is making the short trip to The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 221. And while the stakes won’t be as high as they were for this past Saturday’s pay-per-view, the event certainly boasts what promises to be a thrilling headliner.
In the March 11 main event, former champion Yan will look to return to the win column after an 0-2 run last year. To do so, he’ll need to stall the charge of the #3-ranked Dvalishvili, who has won eight straight en route to the top five.
For most competing in the sport, nothing comes sweeter than having gold in the leading organization wrapped around their waist.
For Dvalishvili? Nothing would be sweeter than ‘humbling’ his Russian counterpart.
Dvalishvili: ‘All I Want Is To Beat Yan Up’
During a recent interview with The Schmo, Dvalishvili looked ahead to his first headliner in the UFC, which comes against an opponent with whom the Georgian shares a sizable amount of animosity with.
In addition to Yan’s rivalry with Dvalishvili’s teammate, UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling, Saturday’s main event features a more political angle, with “The Machine” looking to deliver a victory for Georgia against Russia’s “No Mercy.”
“All I want is to beat this guy up. I don’t care about main event, money; I don’t care about nothing… I want to beat this guy up. That’s all I want,” Dvalishvili said. “He’s a crazy guy. He was champion and he don’t know the rules. He still thinks he won all these fights. No, he get beat up… I’m gonna try to make him humble, you know?
“I just wanna finish him. I don’t like the guy. I have all respect (for) my last opponents, but somehow, I don’t like this guy much,” Dvalishvili continued. “He’s a Russian bully, you know? So, yeah, I wanna just finish him… That will be better than (to) win the title, because this fight is not only a fight, this is a personal fight for me, for my country.”
While a memorable knockout win against now-PFL fighter Marlon Moraes in 2021 was impressive, it was the Georgian’s victory over the legendary José Aldo last year that established his position high up the bantamweight ladder.
And although he won’t be fighting current titleholder Sterling owing to their friendship, a win this weekend could cement Dvalishvili as a potential challenger if “Funk Master” makes good on his promise to vacate the gold for his teammate en route to a pursuit of glory at featherweight.
Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Las Vegas main event, Merab Dvalishvili or Petr Yan?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
