Merab Dvalishvili will be competing in Abu Dhabi in back-to-back months.

In October, Dvalishvili and Petr Yan went the distance for a third time in their trilogy bout that saw ‘No Mercy’ successfully defend the bantamweight title.

Many felt like his Georgian foe’s relentless activity in 2025 ended up hindering him in the fight where he lost the title last December.

Dvalishvili said he’d be open to competing in November due to having no regrets about this, and has followed through on this pitch to some degree.

What’s next for Merab Dvalishvili and can he become UFC champion again?

Merab Dvalishvili’s RAF return announced for November 14 card in Abu Dhabi

Merab Dvalishvili spoke about wanting to make his UFC return soon when commenting on his recent loss in the days after the fight.

While fans will have to wait a bit longer to see ‘The Machine’ step back inside the Octagon, he will be returning to competition on November 14.

The former bantamweight champion was recently announced to be featuring on Real American Freestyle’s event in Abu Dhabi in a late addition to the line-up.

It hasn’t been revealed who Dvalishvili will be facing yet on the card headlined by Khamzat Chimaev vs Colby Covington.

What we do know is that this proves the Georgian is a man of his word in terms of wanting to stay active following his first fight of 2026 despite how back-and-forth it was.

It’s hard to imagine any UFC star other than Dvalishvili agreeing to compete again so soon after a clash that many believe was one of the best of the year.

At the same time, it looks like the leading MMA promotion’s cards are fully booked until at least early 2027, so Dvalishvili will have to take some time off before fighting again.

Merab Dvalishvili already suggested an opponent he could face at RAF Abu Dhabi

Two of Merab Dvalishvili’s three outings in RAF have seen him lock horns with his former UFC opponent, Henry Cejudo.

The two former champions now both hold a win over each other in the promotion after ‘Triple C’ avenged his loss to ‘The Machine’ in just 36 seconds back in August.

Speaking before UFC 333, Dvalishvili registered his interest in completing this wrestling trilogy on November 14 in Abu Dhabi.

“I’d like to have a trilogy with Henry Cejudo, and Abu Dhabi would be a great place… “What was the difference (in the second match)? I got caught, like you can get caught in fighting,” he told Red Corner MMA. “He found the moment and I made a mistake.

“He did a good job. That’s part of the sport… Third time will be different.”