Petr Yan reclaimed his place atop the bantamweight division on Saturday night, outdueling Merab Dvalishvili in a gritty five-round battle at UFC 323 to capture the title and silence lingering doubts about his trajectory.
“I’m very happy that the belt is back in my hands,” Yan told reporters through a translator in his post-fight scrum.
“I knew that the entire time I had to push my initiative, I had to make sure to damage him. I understand that I’m fighting in the champion’s hometown, this is his back yard. I flew 30 hours to get here. I knew that in order for the belt to go in my hands I had to make sure to leave no stone unturned, no questions.”
Yan (20-5) was pressed about the possibility of a rematch with Dvalishvili down the line. While the newly crowned champion didn’t rule it out, he stopped short of committing to a definitive answer. If anything he used it as a chance to troll Dvalishvili.
“I think Merab should really just get the boys, get into the jacuzzi, think about it, and then we’ll see,” he said.
“I never chose what to do as a champion. I never chose my opponents. Whatever the UFC, whatever the organization tells me to do, let’s go. Pedal to the metal,” he said.
“Just understand the fact that for me to get the opportunity to fight for the belt again UFC made me go three more fights before I was able to get into the contender position again.”
