UFC 323 fight week found its spark on Friday when a seemingly straightforward press-conference remark suddenly set off a heated back-and-forth between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan.
The UFC rolls back into Las Vegas this weekend for UFC 323, a stacked card featuring two title fights and a string of high-stakes matchups.
In the main event, Dvalishvili looks to make history against Yan, aiming for an unprecedented fourth title defence in a single year.
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan | SUN 7 DEC 2PM AEDT | Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will look to make history and become the first fighter to defend a championship for a fourth time in a year when he takes on former champ Petr Yan in Las Vegas. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
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And in the co-main, flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja faces 23-year-old sensation Joshua Van, who’s hunting a place among the youngest champions in UFC history.
Things have been fairly civil between Dvalishvili and Yan, but the atmosphere shifted when the Russian mentioned the injury he brought into their last fight, claiming it significantly affected his performance.
“In my first fight, I fought with one arm. He tried 49 take downs…” Yan explained.
Dvalishvili cut him off while he was speaking.
“You are better than this!” he exploded.
“Stop making excuses. No excuse! Tell me now, are you going to be making excuses on December 6 [after the fight]?”
“Are you going to make any excuse?”
“Do you have any injuries now?”
This got a big reaction from the Las Vegas crowd.
Yan, shocked by the interruption, calmly replied: “I feel great – you’re going to see me in the best shape of my life.”
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The pair were at it again later during the press event when “The Machine” jokingly invited Yan to join him in his jacuzzi after the fight.
Yan fired back: “You have plenty of people in your jacuzzi, I don’t need to be there.
“I feel like you should have girls in your jacuzzi instead of who you have. But if you like to be in the jacuzzi with the boys it’s up to you.
“All I see is boys in yours. I honestly haven’t even seen you with a girl before.”
Dvalishvili is known for his incredible cardio, but Yan wasn’t overly impressed when questioned about how he’s planning to deal with it.
“Just remember that any car is bound to break at some point. Any machine,” said Yan, referencing his rival’s nickname.
There was none of the push-and-shove this time around at the face-off – a far cry from their last meeting.
However, Pantoja and Van shared a frosty faceoff following the presser, with the title holder looking particularly fired up.
Elsewhere, former champions Brandon Moreno and Henry Cejudo publicly put their feud to rest.
“I really want to bury this hatchet with you, man,” said Cejudo.
“We haven’t spoken for nine years. We have a history. I just want to put this behind us.”
Moreno and “Triple C” bumped fists and just like that one of MMA’s most drawn-out grudges was over.
Cejudo also took a moment to acknowledge everyone who helped him reach this point, giving a special shout-out to UFC CEO Dana White, who was absent from Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.