Yan, Dvalishvili to settle petty-turned-personal quarrel in UFC Fight Night

MANILA, Philippines – In mixed martial arts, if there isn’t trash talking, there’s the political angle given that many fighters come from different countries — some with conflicts against one another.

The main event match of UFC Fight Night between Russian Per Yan and Georgian Merab Dvalishvili — set Sunday, March 12, at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas —  is drawing a lot of heat and interest not only due not only to the bad blood between the fighters, but also because of the war between their two countries.

Russia invaded Moldova in 2008 as they backed the self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

While Yan has posted on his Instagram account calling for peace between Russia and Ukraine, Dvalishvili, on the other hand, has openly supported Ukraine as his own country has gone through something similar. 

Yet incredibly, this “feud” started out as something petty, not even political.

A bet placed between a friend of Yan’s and Merab about the recent Yan-Jose Aldo but saw the latter betting for the Russian and the latter for the latter. Aldo won the fight but Yan’s friend did not pay up. When Dvalishvili asked Yan about it, that is where the fireworks started.

Then Yan surprisingly belittled the Georgian for his size (Dvalishvili stands 5-foot-6) when Yan is only an inch taller. 

If that didn’t rub Dvalishvili the wrong way, then it must be Yan’s claim that the former is only craving for attention when no one cares about his career.

And in Wednesday’s press conference, Merab totally went political.

So now, it is also about national pride. 

Yan is 16-4-0 — once a promising bantamweight prospect but has since struggled as he alternated wins and losses.

Merab, meanwhile, is on a win streak, having seen his arm raised in his last eight matches after losing his first two bouts.

One thing is for sure — you can throw out all the statistics because there is now genuine dislike for each other.

UFC Fight Night: Yan versus Dvalishvili will be shown live at 7 a.m. Sunday on the Premier Sports Channel on Skycable and Cignal as well as on the TapGo streaming application.