Brett OkamotoESPN Staff Writer9:32 PM ET3 Minute Read
LAS VEGAS – They really don’t call Merab Dvalishvili “The Machine” for nothing.
Dvalishvili (16-4) scored the biggest win of his career on Saturday when he dominated former champion Petr Yan (16-5) in a five-round unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night at the Virgin Hotels Theater. All three judges scored the 135-pound bout with a 50-45 shutout for Dvalishvili, who finished as a 2-1 betting underdog.
The Georgian bantamweight put on a historic feat with the win. He attempted a UFC-record 49 takedowns, breaking the previous record of 33 set by former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in 2012 and succeeding on 11 of those. According to UFC stats, Dvalishvili also landed 202 of 401 total hits compared to Yan’s 87 of 155.
“I said before – it was personal for me,” said Dvalishvili. “I tried to keep it professional. My team told me that I take this fight differently. Thank god I did it professionally. He called me a zero. Now who is the zero?”
There was definitely bad blood between the two throughout the week of the fight. Dvalishvili, who has a Georgian flag tattooed on his chest because the UFC recently restricted fighters going to the Octagon with their country’s flag, made it his mission to speak out against Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. Yan fights from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
A large Georgia fan base flocked to Dvalishvili on Saturday, celebrating his victory over a former UFC champion and pound-for-pound contender.
“I’m so proud, thank you to all Georgians who came here and watched from home,” said Dvalishvili. “We are only five million, but we are strong. I’m so happy to be here and to represent my country.”
Even those who predicted Dvalishvili’s excitement would have had a hard time imagining it. Dvalishvili stayed on Yan from bell to bell, constantly shooting one-legged takedowns and pushing him into exchanges. He turned every second of the fight into a grinding affair, attacking Yan with leg kicks, jabs, right hands, clinch knees and elbows.
He appeared to have injured Yan’s lead left leg with a kick in the second round and swollen his right eye with punches midway through the fourth. Yan didn’t seem particularly exhausted by Dvalishvili’s pace, but he did seem extremely uncomfortable at the sheer volume that was being imposed on him. It’s Yan’s fourth loss in five games after starting his career 15-1.
What Saturday’s win means for Dvalishvili is less clear. He is a close friend and training partner of defending champion Aljamain Sterling, who also defeated Yan twice in a rivalry that took place between 2021 and 2022. The two friends, who fight under Ray Longo and Matt Serra, have made it clear they will not fight each other even if there is a strap on the line.
“He’s my brother and the world champion,” Dvalishvili said of Sterling standing in his corner on Saturday. “Whenever he decides to move up the weight class and fight anyone, I’ll fight for the title after that. Of course I want to be champion.”
Sterling is scheduled to defend his title against two-weight champion Henry Cejudo on May 6 in Newark at UFC 288.