The Daniel Cormier Show - Merab Dvalishvili says he'll DOMINATE Petr Yan in UFC 333 trilogy title fight

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1:09 Again, that's my promo code DCMMA on the Polymarket app. Deposit $ 10 and get $ 25 extra. Get a $ 25 bonus just from making that initial deposit. alright guys hey another DC check in with the boy Marab Dwalish thank you so much for checking in with me I appreciate it how you feeling? I feel good actually it's been a while since you fought how's the time away from fighting been for you to kind of refresh and regroup um First, it was hard.

1:50 I was waiting for fight news. I was hoping to fight before White House because I know we were not going to get the fight there. And then it was a little bit hard, waiting for news. And then after White House, there was no news. But time flies. Now I'm already here, three days out from the fight. It's been fine. I was just keep working. But once I get fine news and I was focused, locked in, and then it's easy to, when you have a fight, actually date, then it's easy to focus and everything is good now.

2:25 Did it get frustrating, kind of waiting? Because you fought so much last year, and we'll talk about that, a little bit to a lot of people's thoughts that it was too much fighting. But was it hard for you to not get frustrated with having to not be active during that time of week?

2:45 Like i said i was just when i was waiting for fight day it was hard like i didn't know when i was gonna fight and uh that was a little bit hard but otherwise i was still training i still have i was still busy doing raf wrestling and uh uh i i'm i'm just grateful for my life and i have so many so many things going on and i was just busy for other things but I know I was fighting for Yan, but it was just about win. And then we are finally, we have a hit.

3:17 Hey, when you, yeah, the win.

3:20 Hey, hey, listen, before RAF wrestling, you actually wrestled Henry Cejudo.

3:25 Yeah, I did.

3:27 And beat him. You had to be scared. Like before, you're like, I'm wrestling this dude in Georgia. you pinned and beat Henry. There's no way you could have thought you would have beaten Henry Cejudo in a straight wrestling match.

3:39 And then you pinned him. Like, how crazy was that?

3:43 Yeah, that was really, really big for me because, yeah, I mean, I'm not stupid. I know Henry. And then, like, in a wrestling match, Henry has more benefits because he's been doing this his whole life. Yeah.

4:01 And then.

4:03 And then this is his rules and his home. But you know, and especially I lose like eight points beginning.

4:12 In the very beginning, it was 8-0. I was like, oh my God, he's.

4:14 Gonna take it. Yeah, but I can't stay patient. And I actually training like one week straight for wrestling. And I knew some.

4:24 You wrestled only one week?

4:27 Yeah.

4:27 And you beat Olympic champion?

4:29 Yeah.

4:29 That's crazy, bro. That's actually crazy.

4:33 But, yeah, but the second time, and he was the one who called the rematch.

4:40 I would have said no. I would have never wrestled him again.

4:43 I know, but I was too kind. I was too bad for him. And I said, and I still training like about one week, maybe like five days for wrestling. I thought I was ready, but when he shoot me and then they teach me this, like wrestlers that they go to other side. I was about to roll, but how he catch me, And then whatever, he go first.

5:06 And then when he take me down and my hand got stuck here and then the corner call me, maybe take hands out. And once I take hands out, he pin me.

5:14 It's one and one now. Yeah, he was more ready that second time. He's ready to wrestle.

5:19 But my goal was to just go to the second period, third period.

5:25 And then get him tired again.

5:26 Yes. And then I was, I was, I was believed to, I can win if I, if I, if I bring it to.

5:33 Like, So when you were champion last year, you fought three times, defended, was going to defend for four times, and obviously lost that fight. So many people had opinions on the fight schedule. When you look back on last year, do you think that maybe it was too much to ask yourself to be able to go through four training camps against the best guys in the world as you got into December of last year?

6:02 No. I don't regret but yeah it was maybe a little bit too soon like two months after I defend my belt and I fought him two months after and not that I was not training hard but against Peter Jan it's it's a different fight and he's he's a very hard fight and maybe I should just not train hard or not training sparring hard I should just train smart but because I was I had so much fun all year that I was just training fighting and training hard and then I thought I was gonna do the same but I guess I came up short and I lost the fight. But I don't regret. But if you ask me again, against Peter Jan, I need a couple more months.

6:55 Yeah, a little more rest time, yeah? Yeah, yeah.

6:56 Because did your body not tell you in the midst of those training camps, like, so right now, since it's been a while since you fought, how much fresher do you feel in terms of your body opposed to that fourth?

7:10 Because it's not like, I mean, you fought Umar, you fought Sean O'Malley.

7:14 Sanhagen.

7:15 You fought Sanhagen.

7:15 Sanhagen. And then you fought Peorion all in one calendar year. So many champions. Like I fought three times in one year as a champion. And I took nine months off after the third fight because I was so beat down physically. You attempted to do it that fourth time. Now that you haven't fought, how much fresher does your body feel?

7:37 And not only your body, but your mind whenever you're not constantly in training camp.

7:42 Yeah, much pressure, I think. I'm more hungrier and more calm and more relaxed. And I think more I grow up, you know. I grow up from all this. I'm getting better and better.

7:57 What did you feel? Where was Peter different opposed to fight number one? Uh.

8:07 Yeah, he felt physically strong because when I grabbed his neck, you commented first fight, then the second.

8:14 Too, right? Both, yeah, both.

8:16 Yeah, and then if you remember, first fight, I was grabbing his neck and hold him like 20 seconds and then just win the club.

8:23 It makes you tired. It makes the guy tired when you can hold his head.

8:26 Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was able to do that. But second fight, as everybody saw, he just picked me and dropped me in my head and then and then every time he shoot me I thought I was gonna choke him but every time I go to the guillotine his neck felt very strong I can't even bend his neck but usually I'm good at the in the gym with this and I usually catch people like that and he felt very strong with that and other things yeah he was his timing good like jab every time like actually I was training in training camp, you know, with Jeb, and every time I told Jeb, he told me to fuck the shit out of me. It was good timing.

9:10 Were you surprised at the amount of wrestling they did? Because the first fight, you took, I mean, 40 takedown attempts. Remember it was in that little, small arena, Hard Rock Hotel? And the pace and the pressure and the amount of takedowns you were able to get off in 25 minutes was outstanding. But it almost felt like that second fight, the way to stop you from attempting so many attacks was to actually try to shoot and take you down.

9:36 Were you surprised by that approach? And honestly, what have you guys done in preparation for this rematch to make sure that you are the one that's advancing again and the one that's setting the pace and the tempo?

9:46 Yeah, now I had much time to study him, what I do good, what I do bad, and then... I know now what works for me, what's not gonna work. for me, and I think I'm gonna win this fight again, dominate weight, but it's gonna be different than how it was first fight, you know?

10:10 Hey, man, come on, dude. You can't be coming in the middle of the interview like this. Hey, bro, you got to get him under control, Murat. This guy, Aljo. Aljo, what's up, dog? How you doing, my brother? Good, good, good.

10:24 He dress all, you know, he got really black skin, so he wear all white clothes.

10:32 Call him darkness. You look good, huh?

10:37 You were the champion and This past year, obviously, you haven't had the belt. Have you felt any different inside of you? What does it feel like? One of the biggest, the hardest parts of becoming a world champion is right after it's not that anymore. Can you feel a difference in life not carrying that belt on your shoulder?

10:57 To be honest, no. Nothing has been changed. I have my good friends around me, teammates, family. Everybody actually showed me so much love and respect and I don't feel even UFC stuff and fighters everybody you know show me it's nothing has been changed I lost the belt but life is still good and it's just I lost the fight and this is I'm a fighter I'm you know when we go there we know there is two results win or lose and then we kind of don't know it's possible and it can happen you know I know I'm not a I'm just a regular human being. I'm making mistakes. I can lose the fight. I can win the fight. But, yeah, of course, it was not only they lose the belt and lose the tattoos, the world champion.

11:51 It just, it's just, it's hard to lose the fight, generally.

11:55 Yeah, it sucks.

11:56 Yeah, it sucks. Murad, you, you....

12:04 You are a guy that has been in there and beaten the best fighters in the world consistently. It took you a long time to ultimately get to that title opportunity. When you look at this one against Peter Yang, a guy that before the first fight, it seemed like you guys were going back and forth, did not like each other so much. Yeah, please put some tape or something on there. You see, we needed Aljo here. It seemed like you guys were going back and forth with each other.

12:32 You didn't like each other. You liked each other after the fight. There was a lot of respect. What's the feeling going into this one in terms of emotional and Peter being the guy that you're fighting for this championship again?

12:42 This time, it's a different feeling because it's... He, even Peter, was trying to talk trash in press conference and something like this. It doesn't bother me because I think... Most important is just win against him and I will have a peace. All I have to do is just show him and show the people I'm a better fighter and I can win against him. That's what I'm focused on now.

13:15 And any extra stuff? Yeah, like if I will be friends with him, I don't think so because He may be good for his family and his friends, but he has friends, I don't respect his friends. One, his friend lost bet against me, like with me, like $ 50, 000, he never paid me back.

13:39 His other friend. $ 50, 000?

13:41 His other friend disrespect my friend, and I slapped his, and he go police, and he tried to lock me in, you know, like his other friend.

13:49 Like lock you in jail?

13:50 Yeah, he sued me and stuff, and then his friend.

13:53 And then.

13:55 So, you know, like there is.

13:56 So you guys won't be friends?

13:59 Well, the guy who was, if somebody was $ 50, 000, like that's hard to become somebody's friend if they owe you $ 50, 000.

14:05 He lost $ 50, 000. And then, and the other story is like, after the fight, it was tweet, internet, he, an ex or, or, or, and he mentioned, he said, my friend, And I also answered my friend. And the people, the journalist asked him, oh, you guys friends now? And he said, no, that wasn't me. That was my manager's side, yeah. So tell me what kind of man let his manager tweet or make a post for him, you know what I'm saying? Like, I don't respect the people who, like, I don't want to, like, Do you understand? His status wasn't from him. And in real thought, that was from him. A real man should not let this... Have you ever let tweet somebody?

14:55 Well, Danny Rubenstein started my Instagram, but I took it back from him. This guy, I don't trust him. He started bad shit on my Instagram, this guy. He sent too many direct messages to women. He sent direct messages to women like it's me. Trying to take women. I tried to take women in my Instagram. I have to take back from this guy.

15:15 Good strategy.

15:16 Yeah, it was good strategy. Like, hey, I'm world champion. And then they show up and it's Danny, you know. It's crazy, but I'm... This is a crazy situation this guy tried to send me into. This is fucking crazy. I have to take it back from him. Marab, what would winning the championship this weekend mean to you?

15:36 I will just have peace. Just one week I will not think about fighting and I will be just peace. Even though my life is good and I'm Everything is good. I'm just missing to win against Ian and show the world that I'm the better fighter. And I can beat this guy. And the belt is secondary and everything is secondary.

16:04 But I just want to win this fight and have peace.

16:08 Enjoy. Enjoy. Well, thank you again for checking in with me.

16:11 Guys, Marab Duwales really fights for the UFC Bantamweight Championship this weekend against Piotr Jan, trying to win their trilogy. This guy's a fantastic fighter, but also a great guy. So tap into everything he's doing. Until next time, like, subscribe, and tell your friends to tell their friends that DC's got a YouTube channel. I'm checking in with guys like Marab Duwales. Until next time, peace.

16:31 Thank you. Make sure to follow and subscribe DC's YouTube channel.

16:35 Yeah, yours too. very good one yeah I.

16:37 Have also YouTube channel Aljamain Sterling has also Aljamain Sterling has one too yes he's actually he's.

16:44 Very good I do interview with his.

16:47 Yeah I do and he's good analyst he does very good well.

16:52 I would argue to be honest I would argue that he's the analyst I think he's okay analyst no he's.

16:59 Very good I watched it I just don't want.

17:01 Like too many guys to say oh good analyst then all of a sudden he take my job.

17:05 You know okay okay You know, it's like a UFC, I think. You know, we all can be a lot of good fighters, but we all have our way. And I think good analysts like you, good analysts like Aljo, you guys can all be fine.

17:21 Work together?

17:22 Not together.

17:26 Good, healthy competition.

17:28 Okay.

17:28 Okay. All right, good. All right. Well, thank you again. Thank you. All right, good luck this weekend.

17:32 Thank you.