MMA analyst Din Thomas has given his thoughts on Merab Dvalishvili possibly receiving a trilogy fight against Petr Yan.
At UFC 323, Merab Dvalishvili lost his UFC bantamweight championship at the hands of Petr Yan. It was an absolutely sensational performance from ‘No Mercy’, who fought the perfect fight and managed to avenge his initial defeat to ‘The Machine’ from March 2023.
Many fans have been discussing the possibility of Merab Dvalishvili receiving an immediate trilogy fight against Yan, especially given his fantastic title reign after he successfully defended the belt three times in one calendar year. Now, though, Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley may be just one win away from a title shot of their own.
As we look ahead to the immediate future, Merab Dvalishvili has said that he believes Merab deserves the third fight.
Din Thomas’ view on Merab Dvalishvili getting a trilogy fight
“I think Merab is going to get the fight next,” Thomas told MMA Junkie. “I really do believe Merab is going to get the fight next. I think they kind of owe it to him because Merab didn’t even have to take that fight. It almost felt like Merab was doing them a favor by taking a fight at the end of the year.
“Merab is a dog. I’m sure he didn’t look at it as, ‘Oh, I’m doing them a favor.’ Merab wanted to fight, but I’m sure when Merab was like, ‘I’ll fight in the last show,’ I’m sure the UFC was like, ‘Phew, now we don’t have to worry about booking a headliner. Merab will do it.’ So, I think the UFC will give this one back to Merab regardless what happens with O’Malley and Umar.”
“(Yan) looked so good that I almost don’t know if Merab could get it back,” Thomas said. “I almost don’t know if he can, and if he’s better than Merab, I don’t know who beats him.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
While the first fight was pretty one-sided, the rematch was so good that we’re pretty sure fans would be more than happy to see them run it back.