Dana White Praises Merab Dvalishvili After UFC 333

UFC president Dana White praised bantamweight fighter Merab Dvalishvili following his battle against Petr Yan at UFC 333.

In the trilogy championship bout between Yan and Dvalishvili, the two long-time rivals went the full 25 minutes and put on an absolute show as they went back and forth for 5 rounds before Yan finally edged out a close unanimous determination on the judges’ scorecards.

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It was an wonderful battle that won both males $100,000 each for Fight of the Night, plus it earned Dvalishvili even more respect from White, not that he did not have it before, as he put on an unbelievable efficiency despite not getting his hand raised.

Dana White Has High Praise for Merab Dvalishvili After UFC 333

Speaking to reporters after UFC 333, White had nothing but high reward for Dvalishvili both for his efficiency in the battle and for everything that he’s achieved so far during his unbelievable UFC profession.

“Incredible. So I signed him after ‘Dana White Lookin’ For a Fight’ and I do that with Matt Serra, who is his coach, and he told me night, ‘I’ve got this kid Merab, he’s going to be a world champion for you.’ Everything Matt Serra said about him came true, and Merab and I have had our moments in the past, but I have nothing but respect for him. He is tough, durable, I mean just absolute savage. And like I said earlier, I don’t think he could have fought a more perfect fight than he did tonight. He looked great,” White said.

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What’s Next for Merab Dvalishvili?

This was a powerful loss for Dvalishvili, as he is now 1-2 in his three-fight sequence against Yan, which means he will have to wait and see how the division shakes out before he can actually battle for the title again.

The excellent news is that if Sean O’Malley gets the next title shot against Yan and beats him, then Dvalishvili could get proper back into title rivalry at 135 lbs as he holds two earlier wins over O’Malley. Therefore, Dvalishvili is absolutely hoping that O’Malley fights Yan and takes him out to claim the belt.

This article was initially revealed on HEAVY

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