Looking to defend his bantamweight belt for what would be a record-setting fourth time this year, Dvalishvili headlines UFC 323 in a rematch with the division\u2019s former titleholder Petr Yan. <\/p>\n
Merab Dvalishvili Uses Pizza To Aid UFC 323 Weight Cut<\/p>\n
Four title fights within a year is an insane rate of activity by the standards of most UFC champions, especially given that Dvalishvili already went the full 25-minute distance twice in his meetings with Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov. <\/p>\n
READ MORE: MMA fighter batters unconscious opponent following vicious slam KO<\/a><\/p>\n Showing no signs of slowing down, \u201cThe Machine\u201d is making headlines during UFC 323 fight week for a video posted on his Instagram story<\/a> where Dvalishvili is smelling pizza in between bites of the healthier food that he\u2019s limited to during the final phase of his weight cut. <\/p>\n #UFC323<\/a> Merab Dvalishvili says the weight cut is going good\u2026 and then continues eating \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude02 pic.twitter.com\/efQQKP3ABK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) December 1, 2025<\/a>Petr Yan Looks To Reclaim UFC Gold on Saturday Night<\/p>\n The viral video is just another example of Dvalishvili\u2019s impressive discipline, and fans know that the Georgian will need to be at his absolute best if he hopes to make UFC history and defend his belt for the fourth time this year when he meets Yan. <\/p>\n READ MORE: Daughter of ex-UFC heavyweight champion remains optimistic about making it big in MMA<\/a><\/p>\n Following a 7-0 start to his UFC career that culminated with an interim-title winning performance against UFC legend Jose Aldo, Yan was promoted to undisputed UFC champion but famously lost his belt to Aljamain Sterling<\/a> via controversial disqualification at UFC 251. \u201cNo Mercy\u201d claimed the interim bantamweight strap once again in his next outing against perennial top contender Sandhagen before losing a rematch to Sterling, which kicked off a three-fight skid capped off by a unanimous decision loss to Dvalishvili.<\/p>\n Petr Yan (red gloves) fights Merab Dvalshvili (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Virgin Hotel. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Yan took nearly a year off before defeating Song Yadong in his return last year, and the 32-year-old now carries the momentum of a three-fight win streak <\/a>into UFC 323 and will try to avenge his previous loss to Dvalishvili and spoil the Georgian\u2019s plans for what would be a historic victory. <\/p>\n More MMA Knockout News<\/p>\n \u2022 MMA fighter flatlines opponent with knee for brutal 12-second knockout<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Cristiano Ronaldo invests in MMA promotion part-owned by UFC star Ilia Topuria<\/a> <\/p>\n \u2022 MMA fighter walks off after absolutely jaw-dropping “KO of the Year” contender<\/a> <\/p>\n \u2022 Massive fight reportedly in the works for UFC 324 as UFC prepares for Paramount era<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with MMAKnockout<\/a> for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Petr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01kbd20zqh48286x02dc.jpg\" "\\"Petr")
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