Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili appears to be closing in on a rematch with reigning titleholder Petr Yan, according to Syndicate MMA head coach John Wood.
Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) lost the bantamweight championship to Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) at UFC 322 in December, ending a demanding stretch that saw the Georgian compete in four title fights within a single calendar year. Since then, both fighters have been sidelined while recovering from injuries, but Wood says Dvalishvili is healthy and prepared to return as soon as the UFC finalizes a date for the rematch.
Speaking to Home of Fight this week, Wood said Dvalishvili has made it clear he is willing to fight whenever the promotion calls.
“Merab is one of those guys that we've seen, obviously, will literally fight tomorrow, if you call him and said, 'Hey, we need you on this card,' he'll do it,” Wood said. “He doesn't care. He doesn't care if his nose is broken, his legs falling off, or whatever it is. Good, bad, or indifferent, this dude's a fighter, and he's gonna fight at any point in time.”
According to Wood, the UFC has already informed the team that Dvalishvili will receive the first opportunity to reclaim the bantamweight title once Yan is ready to return.
“So we're literally just waiting for Yan to give (us) the time and the date,” Wood added. “That was the opponent that's been told to us. I don't think that's going to change.”
The first meeting between Dvalishvili and Yan ended with the Russian reclaiming the bantamweight belt at UFC 322, halting Dvalishvili’s championship run after an active year that cemented him as one of the division’s most durable and relentless competitors.
No official announcement has been made regarding the timing or location of the proposed rematch.
