In the course of his current winning streak, Dvalishvili has secured 46 takedowns, an average of 5.75 takedowns per contest, which is astounding on its face, but even more impressive given that he posted zero in 16 attempts against now-retired Brazilian legend Jose Aldo last time out.
“Training was the same as usual,” Yan said when asked about adjustments following his recent close encounters. “Of course I’ve been working on cage work and takedown defense, but I did not forget about my strengths.”
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As for how to contend with his adversary’s smothering style and willingness to fight in close quarters along the fence for long periods, the stoic Russian standout has some ideas on how to combat those tactics on Saturday night.
„We have to punish him for that. We have to punish him every time he wants to close range,” said Yan, who remains stationed at No. 2 in the bantamweight rankings, one spot ahead of Dvalishvili, despite his recent setbacks. “We have to defend the takedowns and bring the damage on the feet.
“I believe I’m the more well-rounded fighter than Merab, and that will help me.”
