Chris Weidman is straight up calling out a massive weakness for Merab Dvalishvili, one that could totally derail his quest to reclaim the bantamweight title from Petr Yan at UFC 333 on October 24. Weidman, who’s been in the trenches with Dvalishvili at Serra-Longo for years, is worried about those devastating body shots that have hurt “The Machine” before. This isn’t just some casual observation, it’s a specific, glaring vulnerability that Weidman thinks Dvalishvili absolutely has to fix if he wants that belt back in Abu Dhabi.
The Brutal Truth About Those Liver Shots
Weidman isn’t mincing words: those body shots are the biggest red flag for Dvalishvili. We’ve seen it before, right? Yan had Dvalishvili wincing from some nasty liver shots in their title fight rematch at UFC 323. And it wasn’t just Yan, Sean O’Malley also rocked Dvalishvili badly to the body in *their* title fight. Weidman says those teeps and hard body shots can stop Merab from mixing it up like he needs to, messing with his flow and taking away his ability to effectively combine his elite boxing with his wrestling. When those body shots land, it changes everything. Yan, on the other hand, is an absolute problem. Weidman gave him his flowers, saying Yan is “f*cking good.” His boxing is “nasty,” his takedowns near the fence are “nasty,” and the dude’s got slick trips that even Aljo Sterling couldn’t handle in their first fight. If Dvalishvili doesn’t shore up that body defense, Yan is more than capable of exploiting it again.
The Toll of a Legendary Year and a Shifting Mentality
Beyond the physical, Weidman pointed to Dvalishvili’s brutal schedule leading up to that second Yan fight. “The Machine” had a historic year, defending his title four times against absolute killers like Umar Nurmagomedov, Cory Sandhagen, and Sean O’Malley. Weidman emphasized the grind of going through those fights, one after another, all while dealing with the “promotional sh*t” and trying to make money. He straight up said, “Your body’s banged up, you’re going from one to the other.” That kind of wear and tear, Weidman believes, left Merab “a little rusty” for the second Yan fight.
But it’s not just the physical toll. Weidman thinks Merab’s mental game shifted between the first and second fights. Before the first one, Dvalishvili absolutely hated Yan, seeing him as a “Russian bully” and connecting it to the ongoing border issues with Georgia. He took it “very personal” and wanted to “crush Petr Yan.” Fast forward to the rematch, and Dvalishvili “wasn’t as edgy with him at all. He was kind of chill.” Weidman wants to see that fired-up version of Merab back. He acknowledges Dvalishvili is a “very smart fighter” and is hyped to see what changes he makes, especially after getting “humbled” in the last one. Weidman’s betting we’re gonna see a different Merab this time around, and let’s hope it’s the one who brings that old fire.
This trilogy fight on October 24 at Etihad Arena is for all the marbles, with Dvalishvili looking to reclaim his bantamweight title. Can he tighten up that body defense and bring back that intense mentality Weidman remembers? It’s gonna be a must-watch fight to see if “The Machine” can truly get his shine back.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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