LAS VEGAS \u2013 Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 might seem like an obvious next move, but the newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion isn’t too sure.<\/p>\n
Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) defeated Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) by lopsided unanimous decision to avenge a 2023 loss and claim the title in the main event of UFC 323 this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. With the score tied 1-1 between the two, Yan was asked by reporters about the potential of an immediate trilogy with Dvalishvili to settle things.<\/p>\n
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“I think Merab should get the boys, get into the jacuzzi, and then we’ll see,” Yan said at the UFC 323 post-event news conference.<\/p>\n
Yan, who was on a three-fight winning streak entering UFC 323, also reminded the media of his trajectory back to title contention.<\/p>\n
“Just understand the fact that for me to get the opportunity, to fight for the belt again, UFC made me go three more fights before I was able to get into the contender position again,” Yan said.<\/p>\n
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Prior to the three-fight winning streak that got Yan the title opportunity, the Russian fighter had a surprisingly bad stretch of going 1-4 as he lost by disqualification in his first title defense against Aljamain Sterling, and then suffering decision losses to Dvalishvili, Sterling, and Sean O’Malley<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I was personally shocked by that whole skid of going down that road, but this is just a fighter’s character,” Yan said. “As a fighter, you see when someone loves what they do, and I can tell I love what I do.”<\/p>\n