Dvalishvili Says He Regained 19 Pounds in Five Hours

Merab Dvalishvili put 19 pounds back on in five hours after the UFC 333 weigh-ins, and he said so himself on video. Dvalishvili, 35, will meet two-time bantamweight champion Petr Yan in the co-main event, the third fight between the two.

He was one of the first fighters to make weight, coming in at 135 pounds and looking fresh and healthy. Later he showed fans how well the rehydration had gone. "In only 5 hours, I gained back 19 pounds. That's how you do it. Let's go. Now I'm back to drinking and recovering. Now I'm gonna start eating. Let's go eat food first, and tomorrow you guys already know who I'm gonna eat," he said.

A different camp this time

Yan took the title from Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last year. Dvalishvili had cut weight four times that year while trying to become the first UFC champion to make four successful title defenses in 12 months, and the cuts took a toll. He did not look his best on the night he was dethroned. After months of rest and a full training camp, he is described as being in great shape.

At the final face-off the two traded warnings. "I'll be your executioner on Saturday," Yan said. Dvalishvili answered: "Talk now. Enjoy. I will show you. Saturday I'll show you. I'll eat you."

Yan's coach has a five-page plan to beat Dvalishvili again. It asks Yan to follow a similar approach to last time: stop the takedowns, score his own, keep the challenger on his back foot and not let him dictate the pace. Dvalishvili prefers to keep it simple and wants to knock Yan out. In their previous fight he was playing the role of a busy champion and did not have enough time to prepare for Yan. He worked hard, but he did not game plan well.

This time both camps have 50 minutes of footage to study.

Source: MMA Sucka