When Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili locked horns in the main event of UFC Las Vegas, fight fans were expecting a culmination of one of the most heated rivalries in recent memory.
Yan, a former undisputed and interim bantamweight champion, was looking to right the ship after dropping back-to-back fights in meetings with Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley.
Dvalishvili, on the other hand, entered their scrap riding an eight-fight winning streak against some of the top names in the division. But after 25 minutes of action, and a total of 11 takedowns, it was Dvalishvili who emerged victorious with his ninth straight victory.
Here’s how the rest of his fellow fighters reacted to his victory inside the The Theather at Virgin Hotels.
Georgian POWER!!! #Machine!! #UFCLasVegas
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 12, 2023
Best cardio I ever seen
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) March 12, 2023
The #machine ! There is only one ! Wow! @MerabDvalishvil #UFCFightNightLive
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) March 12, 2023
@MerabDvalishvil is a cardio machine @ufc #ufc
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) March 12, 2023
@MerabDvalishvil the best cardio in the ufc !
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) March 12, 2023
Merab is a freak of nature
— Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) March 12, 2023
Takedown after takedown and still fresh . @ufc
— Brian Ortega (@BrianTcity) March 12, 2023
That’s impressive!!!! Merab is a monster #ufc
— Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) March 12, 2023
Oh, we wrestling? #UFCLasVegas
— Ricky Simón (@RickySimonUFC) March 12, 2023
No stool for Merab what a savage!! @ufc #UFCLasVegas
— Charles Rosa (@CharlesRosaMMA) March 12, 2023
No one has ever done this to Yan! @MerabDvalishvil is a BEAST!!! #UFCLasVegas
— Brad Tavares (@BradTavares) March 12, 2023
@MerabDvalishvil looked impressive tonight against Hasbulla
— Boston Salmon (@bostonboomboom) March 12, 2023
What an incredible performance. No one has ever dominated Yan like that. Merab is an absolute machine. #UFCLasVegas
— Ode' ⭕️sbourne (@OdeOsbourne) March 12, 2023
Go Merab!! The machine!!!! #ufc
— Roxanne Modafferi (@Roxyfighter) March 12, 2023
Merab : If wrestle f@cked was a person! Sheesh!
— Walt Harris (@thebigticket205) March 12, 2023
My heart just exploded watching that fight
— Eryk Anders (@erykanders) March 12, 2023
Insane performance!! https://t.co/fliKGQcKL1
— Devin Clark (@brownbearC) March 12, 2023
