BREAKING: Petr Yan reveals he was not 100% fit going into Merab Dvalishvili fight
Petr Yan succumbed to his third straight loss at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili at UFC Fight Night 221. The MMA community at large believes that Dvalishvili handed Yan his most decisive loss, winning the bout by unanimous decision (50-45 on all three judges' scorecards).
While Yan displayed top-notch takedown defense in the opening rounds, Dvalishvili's wrestling pressure wore him down. As the fight progressed, Yan appeared exhausted during the championship rounds. Meanwhile, 'The Machine' scored the biggest victory of his UFC career so far and set a UFC record by attempting 49 takedowns against Yan.
Having had time to reflect on the loss and his performance, Petr Yan issued a lengthy statement on Instagram. He claimed that ahead of the fight, he did not feel his best physically and believed that he should have addressed those concerns before entering the bout. He wrote [translated]:
"It's annoying, it hurts to realize what is happening, but what happened cannot be rewound! In general, I was satisfied with the preparation. There were several slowing down factors - which I thought about and believed that I could handle! I flew to the States, we left the flight for a couple of days and started working. I felt I needed physical therapy!"
Yan concluded by saying that with a few adjustments, he should be back to his best:
"I couldn’t think about the cancelation of the battle, since I was already on the field! I think it was water that I could not move or hit! I had to hang on! I know what I can do and I can do better! You need to reboot - make adjustments!"
Check out the post below:
Merab Dvalishvili believes UFC Fight Night 221 loss will be a learning lesson for Petr Yan
Merab Dvalishvili feels former bantamweight champion Petr Yan will acquire valuable insight from his shutout performance against him. Prior to the bout, Yan disregarded Dvalishvili's skills, arguing that 'The Machine' was not at his level.
Speaking at the UFC Fight Night 221 post-fight press conference, Dvalishvili stated:
"He’s [Petr Yan] a great fighter, but he’s a little bit cocky. I love fighters because they’re all humble and good people, and I don’t think this guy is a very good guy. I think this loss will make him think more, he will respect other fighters, and he was thinking before he is the best, and he is the No.1, and I am zero. It’s not like this. We’re all human, and nobody’s perfect. You should not treat people like this. You should respect everybody. He didn’t respect me before, but now, he will respect me."
Catch Dvalishvili's comments below: