UFC bantamweight Marlon Vera has sent fellow contender Petr Yan a warning ahead of his upcoming fight against Merab Dvalishvili.
For the first time in his professional career, Yan has entered a new year riding a losing skid. While the former champion had a mixed 2021, losing the title via disqualification before gaining the interim belt seven months later with a win over Cory Sandhagen, the Russian’s 2022 was entirely negative.
As well as failing to recapture the throne in a rematch with Aljamain Sterling, “No Mercy” fell to a similarly close decision at UFC 280 last October, with rising star Sean O’Malley earning the nod on two of the judges’ scorecards.
While initial reports painted Yan as an infuriated figure who was considering leaving the UFC, his return to action was recently confirmed. The former titleholder and current #2-ranked contender is set to headline UFC Vegas 71 opposite rising Georgian Dvalishvili.
In his most recent outing, Dvalishvili ended the legendary career of José Aldo with a grappling-heavy display at UFC 278 last August.
That’s a strategy most expect “The Machine” to employ again come March 11, and one high-ranked 135lber expects it to be effective should his opponent not prepare adequately.
Marlon Vera: Petr Yan Must Prepare Well To Avoid Another Loss
During a recent interview with The Schmo, #4-ranked bantamweight contender Marlon Vera gave his assessment of the upcoming bout between Yan and Dvalishvili, which comes a few weeks after his own planned return to the Octagon to face Sandhagen.
After giving the expected grappling vs. striking analysis that most have put forth since news of the matchup first emerged, “Chito” pointed to Yan’s most recent setback, accusing the Russian of entering his bout with O’Malley underprepared.
The Ecuadorian warned that if Yan makes the same mistake again, he’ll likely get outpointed by Dvalishvili.
“That’s a good fight. I see Merab trying to hump for five rounds, and then the other side moving around and punching pretty good,” Vera said. “So, we’ll see how Yan comes into this fight. It seems in his last fight he didn’t really prepare well. He gassed pretty quick. We’ll see if he does his job this time and comes ready, because if he doesn’t come ready, Merab will probably beat him by decision.”
While the pair are yet to share the cage together, Vera and Yan have have indulged in frequent back and forth on social media. Should both men be successful in their respective upcoming assignments, perhaps they can finally settle their differences inside the Octagon.