Taktarov on Yan's preparation for Merab rematch

3 days ago7 min read

In a startlingly visceral assessment of what it will take for former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan to reclaim his throne against the relentless wrestling machine that is Merab Dvalishvili, UFC pioneer Oleg Taktarov has laid out a blueprint for preparation that borders on survivalist training. Taktarov, the winner of UFC 6 whose own legacy was forged in the grueling, no-holds-barred early tournaments, didn't mince words when describing the psychological and physical crucible Yan must endure.'You know what kind of training Petr needs. ' Taktarov began, his words carrying the weight of a man who knows what it means to be pushed to the absolute brink.'He needs five men to simply beat him down. To just survive.Set dogs on him and another five men. And he needs to survive a round.Only after that should he come to and start picking up the pace, scoring points. ' This isn't just about conditioning; it's about a fundamental rewiring of the fighter's psyche, a concept familiar to anyone who has studied the great comebacks in combat sports history, from Ali's Rumble in the Jungle to the relentless pressure of a prime Khabib Nurmagomedov.Taktarov’s prescription continues with terrifying specificity: 'Set a good, strong wrestler of short stature against him, weighing about 95 kilograms – you can see that Merab is a powerful guy, despite his size. So that for the remaining four rounds, Petr is working through 'I can't'.The fight for him ends in the first round, and then he needs to be resurrected and win. That's the psychology.' He then added a characteristically rugged, almost nationalist twist, joking, 'The Chinese – they are mean, resilient, no matter how much they were messed with, beaten, they all survive. Just kidding.Petr is Russian!' This rematch, set to headline UFC 323 in Las Vegas on the night of December 6-7, is more than just another title fight; it's a referendum on Yan's ability to adapt and overcome. Their first encounter in March 2023 was a masterclass in pace and pressure from Dvalishvili, who secured a unanimous decision victory by implementing a game plan that seemed to drain the very will from Yan, much like a football team that dominates possession not to score, but to suffocate the opponent's attack, reminiscent of the tiki-taka era of FC Barcelona where the constant pressure wasn't just about goals but about control.For Yan, a technician often compared to legends like Fedor Emelianenko for his stoic precision, the challenge is monumental. He must find a way to solve the puzzle of Merab's inhuman engine, a task that has confounded nearly every other fighter in the division.Taktarov’s advice, while extreme, highlights the core issue: Merab doesn't just win fights; he makes his opponents quit mentally long before the final bell. The statistical reality is daunting—Dvalishvili holds the record for the most takedowns attempted in UFC bantamweight history, a relentless onslaught that breaks fighters both physically and spiritually.For Yan to succeed, he must be prepared not just to win rounds, but to survive a war of attrition, to be 'resurrected' as Taktarov says, and find a path to victory from a place of utter exhaustion. This is the kind of human drama that defines the highest levels of sports, a lesson in resilience that transcends the octagon and speaks to the core of competition itself.

#featured

#UFC

#Petr Yan

#Merab Dvalishvili

#Oleg Taktarov

#training methods

#rematch

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