“I think the trilogy will happen," Dvalishvili's coach, John Wood, told Uncrowned, "and it’ll probably happen next.”
Merab Dvalishvili came unstuck during the last leg of a generational run that saw him compete in his fourth title fight of the year Saturday, atop the UFC 323 card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The 34-year-old won the UFC bantamweight championship when he beat Sean O'Malley at UFC 306 in September 2024. He defended it months later by outpointing Umar Nurmagomedov in January, submitted O'Malley in their summer rematch, and beat Cory Sandhagen over five rounds in October. Had he stopped there, he’d already have put forward a compelling case for Fighter of the Year honors. Instead, Dvalishvili returned for a fourth title bout against Petr Yan and dropped a clear-cut loss, with the Russian appearing to control almost every minute of every round.
Speaking to Uncrowned’s "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Monday, one of Dvalishvili’s coaches, John Wood, said that while “hindsight is 20-20,” Dvalishvili’s overall "insane" schedule, workload, and cumulative hours of preparation, training and sparring were undeniably “a lot.”
That burden, he said, is part of what separates champions from contenders, though. “When you’re chasing greatness and legendary things, these are the risks you have to take,” Wood said.
“There’s a lot that goes into fighting four title fights in one year,” added the founder of Syndicate MMA. “There’s bumps and bruises. Everybody goes into a fight of this magnitude banged-up.
“More than anything, it’s just a lot of stress on the body."
Prior to the Yan loss, Dvalishvili had stormed to the No.3 spot in Uncrowned’s pound-for-pound rankings because of the quality of the opponents he beat, the dominant nature of those performances and the distinctive style he brings to the Octagon. He overwhelms elite fighters with a hyper-pressured, suffocating pace built on elite cardio. He chains takedown attempts not necessarily to secure finishes, but to force constant defensive reactions that break rhythm. It’s exhausting to deal with, and a direct reflection of Dvalishvili's training ethos.
“He lives fighting,” Wood said. “He doesn’t take time off. He’s still doing cage rounds and it’s always full-steam ahead. Did I think it's a lot? Of course, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Merab.”
Although Wood said he and Dvalishvili will dissect what worked and what didn’t throughout the year, and in the Yan fight, he does not expect major adjustments. “Stuff Merab does is very unique,” Wood said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And I don’t know if [his approach to training] is broke [just yet].”
There are questions about whether Dvalishvili’s extraordinary championship activity contributed to his bantamweight downfall, but Wood argues that run is more than enough to justify an immediate trilogy bout with Yan.
Dvalishvili first fought Yan in 2023, winning over five rounds. Since then he’s won five straight and beaten a who’s who of elite contenders in just 30 months.
For Wood, Dvalishvili “absolutely” warrants an immediate shot at reclaiming his belt. “I think with the work he did in the UFC — the company man he became, and the things he’s willing to do, asking to do things most people wouldn’t want to do — he’s earned that right,” Wood said.
“Dana [White] speaks highly of him, Hunter [Campbell] does, too. He’s in that spot to call that shot.”
One thing Wood will push for is a short break, even if he doubts it will happen. “I think he’s capable of training within a month, but should take time off sparring,” he said. “Really, just not sparring for the next month, or two, would be plenty of time off.”
But once Dvalishvili is back in camp, their mission, together, is clear.
“I know Merab can come back stronger and have a better performance,” Wood said.
“I think the trilogy will happen … and it’ll probably happen next.”
Category: General Sports
