Summary
Petr yan e Merab Dvalishvili facing off before the main fight of UFC Las Vegas (Photo: Instagram/UFC)
Former UFC bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) and record holder for landed takedowns in the organization, Merab Dvalishvili He suffered his first defeat in seven years when he was beaten by Petr yan In the rematch at the last numbered event of 2025. Although he is campaigning for a trilogy, the Georgian acknowledged that the possibility of the third fight taking place at the White House is due to the nationality of the current belt holder.
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In an interview with MMA Pros Picks, Máquina revealed that he had heard the justification from the company itself, although he did not disclose who had given him the information. According to him, if the idea goes ahead, the event will be severely affected.
"The UFC told me that our fight won't happen at the White House on Trump's birthday in June because he's Russian, and that's impossible. That basically means that if the Russians can't fight at the White House event, we probably won't see it." Petr yan, Khamzat Shimaev ou Islam makhachev defending their titles at this event,” he stated.
Merab Dvalishvili says the UFC told him the Petr yan rematch won't happen at the White House because Yan is Russian 😬
"The UFC told me I'm next for the belt. They said there will be a trilogy between me and Yan. They also told me that our fight will not happen at the White… pic.twitter.com/NMQKGIPRNp
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 18, 2026
Currently, the UFC only has... Kayla harrison as a world champion born in the USA. Besides her, all the other athletes who hold belts are of other nationalities, with a large part of them concentrated in the Caucasus region.
Islam makhachev alongside the Dagestan Clan. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
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