Petr
Yan says he discussed politics with Merab
Dvalishvili shortly after their five-round title fight.
Yan retained his
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight championship in
their trilogy bout at
UFC 333 on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The champion
said they exchanged words of respect after their Fight of the
Night-winning encounter before briefly discussing political
issues.
Petr Yan discusses his postfight exchange with Merab
Dvalishvili after their UFC 333 trilogy bout
Dvalishvili took an early lead before Yan rallied over the final
three rounds to win a unanimous decision. All three judges scored
the fight 48-47 for the champion.
Before the fight, Yan said their contrasting personalities would
prevent them from becoming friends. Nevertheless, the two shook
hands afterward. Yan declined to elaborate on their political
discussion, though he expects microphones near the Octagon captured
the exchange and that the audio will eventually become public.
“Shook hands, said thank you to each other, congratulated each
other on the great fight,” Yan said at the postfight news
conference. “And then kind of discussed a few political issues that
are gonna stay there. But I’m sure you’ll hear it; there were
microphones everywhere. At some point, it will come out. But I
would rather leave it between us for now, until it gets
published.”