UFC 323 had barely wrapped when the tension between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili went from combat to comedy, or, depending on your perspective, pure pettiness. Inside the cage, Yan had just delivered a career-reviving performance to reclaim the bantamweight title. Outside, the two resumed where they left off at media day: Merab’s awkward but well-intentioned jacuzzi invitation and Yan’s remark about there already being too many “boys” inside.
At the time, it felt like a meaningless exchange. However, the tone shifted when Yan stepped out of the Octagon with gold again. ‘No Mercy’ suddenly had control of the narrative and understood just how to utilize it, so the joke was no longer harmless. Instead of allowing the jacuzzi moment to fade into fight-week chatter, he turned it into a post-fight headline.
Petr Yan claps back at Merab Dvalishvili with the help of AI
On Sunday morning, Petr Yan shared an AI-generated image that conveyed everything he didn’t need to. In it, he’s relaxing in a jacuzzi surrounded by women, while ‘The Machine,’ stripped of his title and power, stands outside as a waiter, serving him drinks. Just four words captioned it: “Relaxing after the fight .”
A jab, a taunt, and a victory lap, all served cold in one image. And fans didn’t have to guess what he meant by sharing it. He continued the momentum he had at the post-fight press conference, when Petr Yan reveled in the thrill of becoming a two-time bantamweight champion. “With rematches, I do better,” he said. “I’m more intelligent in rematches.” But when asked if he’d give Merab Dvalishvili the trilogy, Yan smirked: “I think Merab should really just get into the jacuzzi, think about it, and then we’ll see.”
He presented the same line on media day, but this time the belt was on the table in front of him. The power dynamic had flipped completely. The Georgian’s offer earlier in the week was intended as a peace gesture: “Hey, you are welcome in my jacuzzi… Wanna come jacuzzi after?” It was a strange attempt to lighten the mood, but ‘No Mercy’ responded immediately: “You have plenty of people in your jacuzzi. I don’t need to be near there. You should have girls in your jacuzzi instead of who you have.”
Relaxing after the fight pic.twitter.com/WVms5IadIM
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) December 7, 2025
Petr Yan wasn’t done, as he further added, “All I saw is you’ve got boys in yours. Honestly, I haven’t even seen you with a girl before at all.” For the unaware, pictures of ‘The Machine’ went viral on the internet earlier this summer where fans could see Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley, and their crew hanging out in a jacuzzi. So this dig was just a reference to that. And while many believed the talk ended there, Yan just revived the entire thing, sharpened it, and returned it to the world with a belt-slapping flourish.
With Yan celebrating in metaphorical hot springs and Dvalishvili dealing with the first true interruption to his historic run, the feud has entered a new chapter, defined not by takedowns, scrambles, or pace, but by pride, comedy, and the tight line between sportsmanship and spite. So, it truly makes a rematch to die for. But when can we get to see the two square off in a definitive trilogy?
‘No Mercy’ denies Dvalishvili an instant trilogy fight
Given how Petr Yan has been weaponizing the jacuzzi joke after the bout, fans believe they see a trilogy coming. But when he sat down as champion at the post-event press conference, the energy shifted. Instead of leaning into the rivalry, Yan redirected Merab Dvalishvili toward someone else entirely, Umar Nurmagomedov.
He said, “You saw the fight of Merab vs. Umar. You saw the way that fight went. So who’s more dangerous? They can rematch, and then we’ll see.” It was a tiny but noticeable shift, as ‘The Machine’ was no longer first in line. ‘No Mercy’ also made it clear that this wasn’t just about the former champion; it was about the journey he had to take.
After losing the bantamweight throne to Aljamain Sterling, Yan had to fight three more times before receiving another title shot. “For me to get the opportunity to fight for the belt again, the UFC made me go three more fights,” he recalled. So now, the message was clear: if he had to earn his way back the hard way, Dvalishvili could too.
At the same time, Yan states he will defend his title anywhere: Alaska, multiple continents, whatever the UFC asks. However, that confidence doesn’t erase the contradiction. Prior to the fight, he stated that Merab Dvalishvili “deserves any rematch he wants” and that a trilogy “would be cool.” Now that he is champion again, the invitation has vanished. The jacuzzi jokes survived. The promise of an instant trilogy didn’t.