Dana White didn’t think much of Merab Dvalishvili.

After three successful title defenses in 2025 and a fourth already lined up before the end of the year, Dvalishvili is quickly establishing himself as the greatest bantamweight in UFC history.

But there was a time when White thought very little of ‘The Machine.’

“It took me a minute to warm up to Merab,” White said following Tuesday’s episode of DWCS. “I’m very warm now. I love that mentality — he wants to be the first guy to defend his title that many times in a year. What he’s done, how he’s proven himself as a champion — it’s impressive.”

Not even two weeks removed from his dominant defense against Cory Sandhagen, Dvalishvili is gearing up for another fight. This time, it’ll come via a highly anticipated rematch against No. 2 ranked contender Petr Yan. The two will headline UFC 323 when the promotion closes out its pay-per-view scheduled in Las Vegas on December 6.

Dvalishvili ready to run it back with Yan

Dvalishvili already holds a win over Yan, defeating ‘No Mercy’ in 2023. Since then, Yan has won three in a row, besting Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee, reearning his spot near the top of the weight class.

“It’s gonna be a good fight,” Dvalishvili said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “He’s a former champion. He has a lot of wins in the UFC. It’s gonna be a fun fight, and I’m taking quick turnaround. It’s good, I’m busy, and I’m willing to fight also in March. February will be in Australia, I don’t think they gonna give me this. In March would be realistically.”

“I’m fine with him,” Dvalishvili said. “As a fighter, I give him so much respect. Also, as a family man, he has a beautiful family, five kids, and he’s a good father. Good for him, God bless him. Hopefully, he’s a better person now.”

Craig Pekios

Craig Pekios is a freelance writer born and raised in Bettendorf, IA. Joining LowKick MMA in May 2022, Craig has more than 4,000 articles published that focus on the world of MMA and boxing, including news, event previews, results, analysis, and op-eds.