Merab Dvalishvili posted a message on social media after his UFC bantamweight title on Saturday night.
Dvalishvili was in his fourth title defense of the year in a rematch against Petr Yan. The Georgian had defeated Yan in 2023, but this was another story.
Yan had an answer to everything Dvalishvili threw at hime. 'The Machine' was beat up a fair bit by the Russian too as he took the title away from the champion.
Yan was fully deserving of the win, and there was a lot of respect shared between the pair after the fight went the full distance.
Dvalishvili was gracious in defeat while speaking to Joe Rogan in the post-fight interviews, and he put up a similar message on his X account.
'The Machine' thanked his fans for the support and promised to come back better than ever:
"tonight wasn't my night, but I will back stronger than ever. Thank you everyone for your support."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's message below:
Yan was the bantamweight champion in 2021 but lost the gold to Aljamain Sterling after being disqualified for using an illegal knee. He lost four of his next five fights before going on a three-fight winning streak, leading to a title shot against Dvalishvili.
UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev also had an eye on this incredible bantamweight brawl.
Makhachev, who recently became a two division champion after beating Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, congratulated the pair for putting on quite a show.
Makhachev claimed that Dvalishvili was one of the best to ever fight while also praising Yan for reclaiming the belt after five years.
"Merab, you are one of the greatest to ever step into this cage. Congratulations. Petya, you deserve it #UFC323"