After four title fights in one calendar year, Merab Dvalishvili has been patiently waiting for word on his rematch against Petr Yan to settle their trilogy sometime in 2026.
MMA
Merab Dvalishvili sends message to Petr Yan, promises to make Henry Cejudo ‘get drunk’ in Georgia after RAF match
Published
1 month agoon
Unfortunately, Dvalishvili hasn't heard a single word from the UFC on when he might actually get the chance to face Yan again and with the calendar already filled through August, the former champion is admittedly getting a little anxious. The original delay in booking the trilogy centered around Yan suffering an injury that was going to delay his return to action and Dvalishvili sent a message to the reigning UFC bantamweight champion in hopes of getting some kind of word about booking that third fight — hopefully sooner than later.
“I guess I'm not fighting in August and I haven't heard anything from Petr Yan,†Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “I'm just waiting for him and I'm praying he's coming back soon. I don't know.
“Petr, come back soon, bro. Let's fight. I want to fight. Let's go.â€
If there's one advantage to the time off, Dvalishvili has been able to heal up some nagging injuries, although he added to that list recently after breaking his nose in training and then again during a recent wrestling match.
Dvalishvili downplayed the severity of the nose injury on both occasions and he almost expects it to happen again, which is why he's not stressing that affecting his ability to fight in the near future.
“My nose is good now,†Dvalishvili said. “It's healed up. But if it happens, I don't care anymore. I'll be fine.â€
With the Yan trilogy still on hold, Dvalishvili has been keeping busy in his spare time by crossing over to freestyle wrestling with matches booked in RAF.
Following a win over UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar in his RAF debut, Dvalishvili now gets the chance to fight at home with the promotion going to Georgia on Saturday for an international event with the former bantamweight champion facing Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in the main event.
They were originally scheduled to clash at a prior RAF event but Cejudo dropped off the card at the last minute due to undisclosed reasons. Now Dvalishvili faces Cejudo in his native country and he admits that raises the stakes dramatically for him personally.
“This is pressure for sure,†Dvalishvili said. “I haven't competing in my country since 2010. It's going to be exciting but maybe a little bit stressful, too, because I can't lose [in front of] my people. It's going to be hard. Who knows?â€
When they met in the UFC, Dvalishvili was able to take Cejudo down and ultimately win a unanimous decision before moving onto capture the title at 135 pounds.
But that was MMA and this time Dvalishvili is a distinct underdog going against Cejudo, who captured an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling back in 2008. No matter the result, Dvalishvili says he's planning for a raucous night in Georgia after he faces Cejudo and he wants the former two-division UFC champion that he better have his party shoes on after the match.
“Maybe he wants to avenge his loss and I'm sure he's training hard to beat me,†Dvalishvili said. “Let's see. He's the best at wrestling. I have an advantage competing at my home in Georgia but it's his sport wrestling. We'll see what's going to happen.
“Whatever it will be, I'll be happy. After our match, win or lose, I'm going to make Henry Cejudo get drunk in Georgia. Give him lots of good Georgian food and show him hospitality. I have so much respect for Henry. He's a good athlete and a good father.â€
You may like
MMA
Anthony Smith pleads not guilty to four felony charges in Nebraska
Published
8 hours agoon
August 18, 2026
Smith has pleaded not guilty to four felony charges stemming
from a July domestic incident in Nebraska.
Court records confirmed
Smith’s plea, resulting in the cancellation of an arraignment
scheduled for Aug. 17. The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title
challenger is now due back in court for a status hearing Sept. 21
in Sarpy County.
Former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith faces four felony
charges stemming from an alleged July domestic incident in Gretna,
Nebraska
Smith faces one Class 2 felony count involving an attempted Class 1
offense, a terroristic-threats charge and two counts of
first-degree false imprisonment, all classified as Class 3A
felonies. A Class 2 felony in Nebraska can carry a prison term of
one to 50 years, while Class 3A felonies carry up to three years of
imprisonment and 18 months of post-release supervision.
Prosecutors allege that Smith became involved in an altercation
with his wife at a Gretna, Nebraska, bar on July 26. They claim
Smith threatened to kill his wife, forced her into his vehicle and
later attempted to strike her with the vehicle after she exited it.
His wife was not physically injured, according to prosecutors’
account.
Smith has not publicly addressed the allegations. His wife, Mikhala
Renee Newman, previously offered a different characterization of
the incident, saying Smith was experiencing a mental health crisis
and that she had sought help to protect him from himself.
MMA
Sean Strickland trades heated DMs with Tyron Woodley over Din Thomas cornering controversy
Published
8 hours agoon
August 18, 2026
Credit: Michelle Farsi/Chris Unger/Matt Winkelmeyer/Zuffa LLCUFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and former titleholder Tyron Woodley engaged in a war of words over Din Thomas.
UFC analyst and former fighter Din Thomas is under intense criticism after ‘retiring' as a cornerman following Gillian Robertson's loss at UFC 330. Robertson lost to UFC women's strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern by unanimous decision with Thomas, her longtime mentor and coach, in her corner.
After massive backlash, Thomas apologized for his ‘retirement' during the most recent episode of Deep Waters alongside Dustin Poirier and Jorge Masvidal. Robertson, in her first post-fight comments after UFC 330, appeared to question the sincerity of Thomas' apology.
Enter Sean Strickland, who went on an X-rated social media rant against Thomas as the controversy built steam over the weekend. Strickland defended Robertson's performance and blasted Thomas' critical remarks in the immediate aftermath of the fight.
After Strickland's remarks went viral, one of Thomas' closest confidants, former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, defended the coach against Strickland's attacks.
Sean Strickland, Tyron Woodley trade threats over Din Thomas controversy
As Strickland leaked on Instagram, Woodley gave him a stern warning after the middleweight champ's recent remarks about Thomas following UFC 330.
“Watch your mouth talking about Din,†Woodley messaged Strickland.
“You have no clue WTF you talking about, we laugh all the time when you have no filter, but you a habitual line-crosser. I'm ride or die about him. Don't cross that line.â€
Tyron Woodley confronted Sean Strickland in his DMs for talking bad about Din Thomas
Sean Strickland sent him back a screenshot of his 7-fight losing skid 😬
ðŸ—£ï¸ Woodley: “Watch your mouth talking about Din. You have no clue wtf you talking about.â€
ðŸ—£ï¸ Strickland: “Bro what are… pic.twitter.com/MjP2elpaR2
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 18, 2026
Three hours later, Strickland hit back at Woodley.
“Bro, what are you gonna do? You ain't gonna do a damn thing lmao,†Strickland responded to Woodley.
“Din can suck my c—. Weak a– b—-.â€
What are your thoughts on the Din Thomas cornering controversy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
Teofimo Lopez Challenges Fathers Corner Decisions After Shakur Stevenson Defeat
DWCS Week 2 official after all 10 fighters make weight
Anthony Smith pleads not guilty to four felony charges in Nebraska
Trending
-
MMA2 days agoJalin Turner explains how he handled the burden of hurting his opponents
-
MMA2 days agoDin Thomas retires from cornering after Gillian Robertson’s UFC 330 loss
-
MMA2 days agoIan Machado Garry sends defiant message after Islam Makhachev defeat
-
MMA2 days agoCharles Johnson’s wild UFC 330 submission was no fluke: ‘Once or twice a week’
-
MMA2 days agoChidi Njokuani explains bizarre UFC 330 weigh-in mix-up
-
MMA2 days agoLucas Fernando nearly quit MMA before breakthrough UFC 330 victory
-
MMA2 days agoNeil Magny closes in on Jim Miller’s all-time UFC wins record
-
MMA2 days agoIan Garry confronts Michael Morales at UFC 330: ‘Make sure you back it up’


