Outside Source
Dvalishvili defeated Yan via unanimous decision in their first encounter in 2023. However, Yan allegedly fought with an injured right hand in their first matchup. While Dvalishvili went on win the bantamweight title, Yan mounted a three-fight winning streak to earn a title shot in a rematch against Dvalishvili. Yan was a massive underdog going into his UFC 323 title challenge against Dvalishvili last month. “No Mercy” upset the odds with a shutout performance, neutralizing Dvalishvili in every aspect to earn a unanimous decision win.
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However, Nurmagomedov wasn’t surprised by Yan’s upset win against Dvalishvili. Nurmagomedov was confident in Yan’s striking and knew Dvalishvili lacked the skills to control him on the ground. Some believe Dvalishvili might have overworked himself by putting his title on the line for the fourth time in a year against Yan. However, Nurmagomedov believes Dvalishvili loses to Yan every day of the week, even with a full training camp and ample rest.
10 Out of 10 Times
“I wasn’t surprised by Petr’s victory,” Nurmagomedov told Red Corner MMA. “I knew he is better at striking; he’s got good defensive wrestling. Even if Petr had been taken down, Merab doesn’t have the grappling skills like Aljamain Sterling has to control Petr on the ground… I think even if you give Merab a three-year break and make him face a healthy version of Petr Yan, Petr will beat him 10 out of 10 times.”
Dvalishvili (21-5) claims he has been promised a trilogy fight against Yan (20-5) next. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov (19-1) suffered his lone professional loss in a failed title bid against Dvalishvili last year. Nurmagomedov has since rebounded with a victory over Mario Bautista. Nurmagomedov is now scheduled to fight Deiveson Figueiredo (25-5) at UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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