Islam Makhachev Backs Petr Yan

Islam Makhachev has entered the conversation surrounding Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan with a pointed view of his own. According to the supplied Sherdog report, Makhachev believes Dvalishvili has never been happy for him. The report also identifies Makhachev as backing Yan to silence Dvalishvili, putting his support behind Yan as the pair prepare to continue one of the most prominent rivalries described in the supplied material. The development is notable because Makhachev is not being presented as a participant in the Yan-Dvalishvili matchup. His role in this story is instead clear: he is responding to Dvalishvili and publicly siding with Yan. That distinction keeps the focus on what Makhachev has said, while the upcoming trilogy supplies the immediate competitive setting for his remarks.

Yan and Dvalishvili are scheduled to co-headline UFC 333 later this year, according to the supplied BJPenn material. Their trilogy is set with one win apiece after Yan defeated Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 323 last year. The same report says Dvalishvili had been the reigning titleholder entering that rematch. Makhachev’s support for Yan therefore arrives with an established competitive backdrop rather than as an isolated exchange. Yan already owns the latest result in the series, while Dvalishvili has openly described the challenge in front of him. Makhachev’s position adds another public voice to that backdrop, but the central news remains his belief about Dvalishvili’s attitude toward him and his choice to back Yan.

Makhachev takes a clear position

The available Sherdog material is concise but direct: Islam Makhachev believes Merab Dvalishvili has never been happy for him. That is the personal element at the center of Makhachev’s response. Rather than offering a neutral observation about the trilogy, Makhachev has attached his view of Dvalishvili’s reaction to his own success to a concrete sporting preference, backing Petr Yan to silence him. That framing matters because it separates two connected strands of the story. First, Makhachev is addressing his relationship with Dvalishvili as he sees it. Second, he is identifying Yan as the fighter he expects or wants to answer Dvalishvili in the Octagon. The supplied source does not provide a longer Makhachev quotation, a prediction method or any additional details about a future Makhachev action. The confirmed takeaway is limited to his belief about Dvalishvili and his support for Yan. For readers following the exchange, the significance is in the clarity of Makhachev’s stance. He has not merely been mentioned alongside the rivalry. He is the main actor in the report because he has fired back at Dvalishvili and aligned himself with Yan before the decisive chapter of Yan and Dvalishvili’s series.

The timing also gives Makhachev’s comments a defined context. The BJPenn report was published on Aug. 24, 2026, and included Dvalishvili’s assessment of the upcoming fight. The Sherdog report about Makhachev was published on Aug. 25, 2026. Based on the supplied material, that places the report of Makhachev’s response after Dvalishvili discussed the Yan challenge. Dvalishvili said he was working very hard but trying to be smarter after feeling that he had not taken breaks before the previous Yan fight and had burned himself out. He also said Yan will never be an easy fight for him, expressed surprise at how good Yan is and how hard he hits, and said Yan could beat him again if he does not prepare very well. Those admissions do not change the focus away from Makhachev; they explain why his backing of Yan lands in a rivalry already carrying competitive tension.

The Yan-Dvalishvili context behind it

The supplied material describes Yan-Dvalishvili 3 as a winner-takes-all showdown and says the fighters will look to settle their long-standing rivalry inside the Octagon. Yan’s unanimous-decision victory at UFC 323 gave him the most recent win, while the series record entering UFC 333 is even at one victory each. Makhachev’s backing of Yan is consequently tied to a matchup in which Yan has already demonstrated he can defeat Dvalishvili. At the same time, Dvalishvili’s own comments show he is treating the return bout as a serious test. He said he learned from the previous meeting, specifically pointing to his approach during the pre-fight buildup and the need to prepare more intelligently. There is no need to extend Makhachev’s words beyond the report. The available facts already establish the news angle: Makhachev has a negative assessment of Dvalishvili’s feelings toward him, and he has chosen Yan’s side before the trilogy. The bout itself remains the place where Yan and Dvalishvili can resolve their rivalry, while Makhachev’s remarks add a fresh public layer to the lead-up.

• Islam Makhachev believes Merab Dvalishvili has never been happy for him, according to the supplied Sherdog report.
• Islam Makhachev backs Petr Yan to silence Dvalishvili ahead of Yan and Dvalishvili’s UFC 333 trilogy.

Islam Makhachev’s message is straightforward in the supplied reporting. He believes Dvalishvili has not been happy for him, and he is backing Yan to silence Dvalishvili. With Yan holding the latest victory and Dvalishvili acknowledging the scale of the challenge ahead, Makhachev’s response arrives at a meaningful point in the buildup to UFC 333. The confirmed next competitive step in this story is Yan and Dvalishvili’s trilogy, while Makhachev’s stance remains the central news development.

Sources: Sherdog; BJPenn