Dana White admits his opinion has changed on current UFC champion

Dana White has warmed up to a reigning UFC champion, who is on the verge of history.

White and UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili didn’t always see eye-to-eye. The UFC boss was initially peeved when “The Machine” refused to fight his close friend and longtime training partner Aljamain Sterling. Eventually, Dvalishvili’s willingness to fight often changed White’s tune.

During a post-fight press conference following Tuesday’s Contender Series event, White said his relationship with Dvalishvili has never been stronger (h/t MMAJunkie).

“I love it,” White said. “Listen, it took me a minute to warm up to Merab, but I’m very warm now. I love that mentality. He wants to be the first guy to ever to defend his title that many times in a year. If you look at what he’s gone out and done, how he’s proven himself as a fighter and as a world champion, it’s impressive.”

Dvalishvilil has a chance to make history at UFC 323 on Dec. 6. He’ll put the 135-pound gold at stake against Petr Yan. If “The Machine” wins, he’ll set a record for the most successful title defenses in a single year.

In his most recent outing on Oct. 4, Dvalishvili successfully defended his gold against Cory Sandhagen. While the challenger found some success in the opening frame, things went downhill for him in the second stanza. Dvalishvili peppered Sandhagen with strikes and nearly scored a finish. Ultimately, Dvalishvili won via unanimous decision.

Dvalishvili already has a victory over Yan. The two clashed back in 2021, and it was Dvalishvili who earned the unanimous decision win. The bantamweight champion has long said that he feels Yan deserves a rematch. Since the loss to Dvalishvili, Yan has put together a three-fight winning streak. He’s beaten Song Yadong, former UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee in that span.