Merab Dvalishvili and Aiemann Zahabi could potentially be on a championship collision course with one another, depending on how the proceedings this weekend play out. But the two men showed tangible mutual respect for one another amid a big fight week for the former.
Dvalishvili first has to deal with the imminent challenge of former bantamweight champion Petr Yan as the two run it back for a rematch at UFC 323 on Saturday, December 6th. Zahabi was on the scene for fight week in an analyst role for Sportsnet and spoke with the reigning, defending champion. As far as addressing the notion of whether Zahabi is in the mix for a shot at championship gold as we encroach into the next calendar year, Dvalishvili said,
“Of course, I mention your name because I recognize your hard work. You have a long winning streak. You come from long winning streak. Hopefully, God willing, I’m going to win, and hopefully you get your Merab Dvalishvili supports Aiemann Zahabi’s UFC title aspirations: “You deserve it” shot too because you deserve it.”
The two exchanged pleasantries thereafter, with the Canadian combatant thanking the Georgian champion for that sentiment. Then both Zahabi and Dvalishvili ended up wishing each other luck during the remainder of the exchange.
Merab Dvalishvili was picked by Aiemann Zahabi to win at UFC 323 for a selfish reason
Merab Dvalishvili is someone that Aiemann Zahabi is supporting to win the championship fight this weekend, largely in part because of how it could benefit his own career interests. The Tristar product mentioned this during a recent interview that James Lynch had done with Bodog, as Zahabi spoke on how he thinks Dvalishvili as champ presents a clearer path for him as a title contender.
Zahabi’s logic was that if Petr Yan regained the belt, there would be far more options for him as a newly minted titleholder that would keep the surging bantamweight contender on the sidelines, looking in or where he may need to win a couple more fights to stay in that mix.
Aiemann Zahabi mentioned that he felt the Yan and Dvalishvili rematch was far closer to a 50-50 fight, feeling like the former champion Yan wasn’t getting his due. Especially in the context of reports, Yan had an injured hand in that first Dvalishvili clash that saw the latter earn a win on points.
