Merab Dvalishvili says Petr Yan trash talk no longer bothers him before UFC 333 trilogy

Dvalishvili, who lost the bantamweight title to Yan last December, calls Saturday's trilogy fight "the most big fight in my career".

Merab Dvalishvili says he stayed calm while Petr Yan trash-talked him before UFC 333 because he has grown up, and that he will give his answer in their title fight on Saturday.

Yan, the champion, repeatedly interrupted Dvalishvili at a pre-fight press conference for the card. Dvalishvili did not fire back and stayed respectful throughout.

"He talks shit, and this doesn't bother me anymore," Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. "I think I grew up as a person, as a fighter, [and] you know me, I'm just a respectful guy."

He said the priority was to "make weight and then show up Oct. 24 and do my job, and then I will answer, in the fight, his questions. I'll be winner, and then he will be humble." He added: "He can talk, make fun of me, but this doesn't bother me anymore."

Dvalishvili has lost his temper with other fighters and with fans in the past. He said he had learned from that, including an online backlash a couple of months ago, some of it from fellow Georgians, after he gave his opinion on a politician. "This press conference, like trash talk, this doesn't really matter because most important [thing] is fight," he said.

Dvalishvili won the first fight with Yan at UFC Las Vegas in March 2023. Yan won the rematch at UFC 323 last December to become a two-time champion, ending Dvalishvili's 14-fight winning streak in the last of his four title fights in 2025. Yan has won four in a row since the first meeting. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Yan said he was not rude to Dvalishvili at the press conference, only "being real".

Asked whether Saturday is the biggest fight of his career, Dvalishvili said: "Right now, yes. ... [I'm] fighting [a] champion, most dangerous guy, Petr Yan." He added: "It's hard to fight him. He has all the tools, all the skills, but in the trilogy, one on one, people are waiting for this, and yeah, it's this is the most big fight in my career, for sure."

The title fight is the co-main event at UFC 333 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 24 October, under Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev. The card starts at 15:00 BST and the main event is expected at 21:00 UK time, live on TNT Sports (UFC 333 UK start time and how to watch).

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