Merab Promises Quick Return After Yan Title Loss

Merab Dvalishvili has broken his silence following his bantamweight title loss to Petr Yan at UFC 333.

The former champion fell short in the trilogy bout last weekend in Abu Dhabi, dropping his second consecutive decision to Yan and ending his bid to reclaim the belt. The defeat snapped a 14-fight win streak for the 35-year-old Georgian, per MMA Mania.

Dvalishvili posted a lengthy statement on social media thanking his teams in Las Vegas and New York, the UFC, and his supporters. "I cannot wait to be back in that cage doing what I love to do!" he wrote, according to the report. "I am healthy and motivated and will be back soon! This Machine never breaks!"

The back-to-back losses to Yan pushed Dvalishvili's record to 21-6. He remains ranked number one at bantamweight and has already beaten most of the division's top ten outside of Mario Bautista and Song Yadong.

Whether matchmakers pair him with either contender may depend on how plans shake out for a rumored Yan-Sean O'Malley rematch. Dvalishvili turns 36 in January.