Petr Yan beats Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333, retains title
Yan dropped the first two rounds, shut down Dvalishvili’s takedowns and won 48-47 on all three cards in Abu Dhabi
Petr Yan kept the UFC bantamweight title on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, beating Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in the UFC 333 co-main event. All three judges scored it 48-47 for Yan, who won the tiebreaker of their trilogy.
It was a comeback. Yan dropped the first two rounds, shut down the takedowns from the third round on and finished on top, with Dvalishvili hurt and hanging on to the final horn.
How Yan turned the fight around
Dvalishvili started exactly as expected. He pushed the pace, landed kicks and punches and shot for takedowns nonstop. In the first round he got the champion down and finished on top with knees and punches.
The second round followed the same script, with a head kick from Dvalishvili and another takedown. Yan kept getting back up, but he had little offense of his own.
Everything changed in the third. Yan stuffed three straight takedown attempts, landed a left kick to the body that backed Dvalishvili up and rocked him with a combination.
Over the last two rounds, the champion was in control. He defended the shots, punished each failed attempt with elbows, knees and punches and even landed a flying knee in the fifth.
Yan called his shot before UFC 333
Yan had warned everyone. During fight week, he said he had Dvalishvili figured out after two fights. Dvalishvili, for his part, joked that he is a decision machine.
The fight did go to the judges, but the decision went to the champion. Takedown defense made the difference: Dvalishvili threw a huge volume of shots, and from the third round on almost none of them worked.
That stands out for anyone who has followed his career. Constant pressure and chain wrestling are his trademark at bantamweight, and they decided his first fight with Yan.
The history of the Yan vs. Dvalishvili trilogy
They first met in March 2023, and Dvalishvili won a unanimous decision built on takedowns. He went on to win the title and defended it three times in 10 months.
The rematch came at UFC 323 on Dec. 6, 2025. Yan won a unanimous decision to take the belt back and even the series. On Saturday in Abu Dhabi, he broke the tie.
With the win, Yan improves to 21-5 in MMA. Dvalishvili falls to 21-6.
Song Yadong emerges as the next challenger
In his Octagon interview with Daniel Cormier, through an interpreter, Yan was asked about Song Yadong, one of the top contenders at 135 pounds. He refused to pick an opponent and said he will take anyone.
“Give me Song Yadong, give me King Kong! Give me anybody! Just make the weight, and I will take you down,” the champion said.
The night in Abu Dhabi still had the main event, Alexander Volkanovski against unbeaten Movsar Evloev for the featherweight title. Before the fight, Volkanovski vowed to finish Evloev. Earlier on the card, Iasmin Lucindo and Daniel Santos picked up wins.
Who won the rivalry in your eyes? Does Dvalishvili deserve a fourth fight, or should Yan move on to a new challenger? Tell us in the comments.
Read more:
- Petr Yan says he has Merab figured out before UFC 333
- Merab Dvalishvili jokes he’s a decision machine before Yan 3
- Volkanovski vows to finish unbeaten Evloev at UFC 333
