UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan made his stance clear during an interview with Daniel Cormier: there will be no friendship with Merab Dvalishvili after their trilogy matchat UFC 333, and politics is the primary reason.
The Russian star who currently holds a 1-1 record against Dvalishvili heading into their third meeting, explained that while he maintains respect for his opponent as a competitor, a personal relationship is off the table.
When asked by Cormier if the two could be friends after their match, Yan responded with a firm “No.”
The root of this irreparable rift stems from Dvalishvili’s decision to bring politics into their rivalry. Talking through a translator, Yan stated: “He tried to make it not about sports, you know, tried to add politics.”
The champion expressed his frustration with this approach, emphasizing that athletes should stay in their lane. “We are just little people. We try to do our thing, you know, not to try to be involved in this,” Yan explained, making it clear that he believes sports and politics should remain separate.
Yan also noted that Dvalishvili appeared overconfident before their last encounter and was more quiet this time around. He said, “I think in the last match he was riding this streak. He was overconfident.”
Yan remained confident about the outcome of their upcoming trilogy, suggesting Dvalishvili will fade from relevance after the match.
“After that match he will be more quiet. You won’t even see him around much,” he said. The champion believes his opponent knew the match was over during their second meeting, stating, “In the second round when he couldn’t take me down, he knew that he going to lose this match.”
Despite the personal animosity, Yan acknowledged that Dvalishvili will likely attempt tactical adjustments for their third encounter.
“For sure he will try to approach a little bit different. He will try to be more aggressive from the first round,” Yan predicted, though he doubts any fundamental changes to his opponent’s wrestling-heavy style.
