Merab Dvalishvili Vs. Petr Yan Breakdown

“With Merab, you can see he is evolving. You can see he is improving in striking. But I don’t think Merab’s plan will be to fight me standing. If we look at my boxing skills, he understands that it’s risky for him. I want to win early by knockout. When you finish the champ early, it leaves absolutely no talk, no speculations. I want to get the belt back and take my revenge. I have everything it takes to beat him,” Yan said

The Approach

Dvalishvili’s objective is to constantly threaten takedowns, effectively turning every striking exchange into a grappling risk for Yan. Dvalishvili will utilize level changes and his wrestling to keep Yan constantly defending. This defensive effort is designed to fatigue the challenger, especially in the later championship rounds.

Merab’s striking is used to set up the takedown. The cumulative effect of the strikes (he landed 147 significant strikes in the first fight) further compromises Yan’s ability to defend the wrestling. Merab’s biggest advantage remains his cardio. His tactic is to maintain an insane pace that no one in the division can match.

Yan’s objective will be to neutralize Merab’s wrestling, while implementing his counter-striking. Yan must improve his early-round takedown defense. He needs to proactively circle away from the fence, where Merab is most effective.

Yan is one of the most accurate strikers in the division, and he needs to make Merab pay every time he enters the pocket or shoots. Landing clean, high-impact strikes to the body and head will force Merab to respect the striking and potentially slow his forward momentum. While Yan is known for pressure, he must avoid the slow, reading pace that Dvalishvili exploited in the first fight. He needs to use feints and controlled aggression.