Petr Yan has broken his silence on the strategic decisions he made during his title defense against Merab Dvalishvili, including the viral moment that had fans counting how many times he adjusted his shorts.
In a recent interview with Ushatayka, the bantamweight champion addressed the intentional approach that saw him absorb strikes while pressing forward against the Georgian challenger.
“Well, since I did it, that means I was confident,” Yan explained when asked if he deliberately took shots to avoid giving Dvalishvili space. “Conscious and deliberate, yes.”
The Russian athlete revealed that his game plan was carefully structured across the five-round distance. When asked why he waited until the end of the third round to target Dvalishvili’s body, Yan emphasized the methodical nature of championship matches.
“You can’t play all your trump cards at once; it’s a long distance, a five-round match. Everything has to be methodical. Merab played his hand in those two rounds, thinking he would exhaust me with that pressure and then be able to work the stand-up. But it turned out he got tired himself.”
Yan also explained that Dvalishvili’s high kicks and spinning techniques were anticipated.
“Well, I understand why he was doing that. He was gauging his distance that way, trying to keep me at bay with leg kicks,” Yan noted. “Plus, he used that momentum after the kick to go for a takedown. Overall, it wasn’t a surprise; I knew he would be doing those things.”
As for the much-discussed shorts adjustments, Yan clarified that the issue stemmed from a wardrobe malfunction rather than nerves.
“There was an issue with the shorts a day before the match. During the fitting, I told them they were a little too big and needed to be taken in slightly. They said, ‘Yeah, we’ll get it done.’ But on match day, when we arrived in the locker room and all the gear was laid out… I put them on and realized they hadn’t been taken in.”
The champion acknowledged he had to improvise a solution moments before entering the octagon. “So, I just tied the drawstring as best I could so I wouldn’t have to think about it. I had other things on my mind,” Yan said.
