Petr Yan delivered a composed, technically sharp performance to defeat Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in their trilogy fight at UFC 333, retaining the UFC bantamweight championship after five hard-fought rounds in Abu Dhabi.
Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili bring unfinished business to Abu Dhabi as the rivals meet for the third time in the co-main event of UFC 333. With the bantamweight championship on the line, the trilogy presents another high-stakes test between Yan’s technical striking and Dvalishvili’s relentless wrestling. The championship contest takes place at Etihad Arena on Saturday, October 24, as part of a UFC double-header featuring two title fights.
Yan enters the matchup as the reigning bantamweight champion he enters the trilogy following a unanimous decision victory over Dvalishvili at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025. The win restores him to the top of the bantamweight division and avenges his earlier unanimous decision defeat against the Georgian in March 2023.
Merab Dvalishvili heads into his trilogy with Petr Yan following a remarkable run at the top of the UFC bantamweight division, with his 14-fight winning streak coming to an end in their December 2025 rematch.
Dvalishvili wastes little time imposing his trademark pace. He opens with a hard leg kick and a right hand before shooting for a single-leg takedown.
Yan defends the initial attempt and returns to his feet, but Dvalishvili keeps pressing forward, mixing kicks with repeated attempts to get the champion to the canvas. He briefly secures a body lock and later completes a takedown, only for Yan to get back up almost immediately.
Although Yan lands a jab and works to defend the wrestling exchanges, Dvalishvili’s constant forward pressure makes it difficult for the champion to establish a consistent striking rhythm.
Dvalishvili’s activity earns him the opening round.
Dvalishvili continues where he left off, adding a head kick and a spinning back kick before returning to his wrestling.
Yan tries to establish his jab and answer with counters, but Dvalishvili repeatedly closes the distance and attacks the legs. Even when Yan defends a takedown or returns to his feet, the Georgian quickly reset and looked for another opportunity.
Yan did find moments to land.
A combination of punches and a clean left hand catches Dvalishvili during the exchanges, but the former champion continues to press forward and eventually secures another takedown.
The fight begins to change in the third round.
Dvalishvili continues attacking with leg kicks and takedowns, but Yan becomes more effective at defending the entries and returning to the centre of the cage. The champion begins finding his range with jabs and cleaner punches rather than spending the entire round reacting to the wrestling.
As Dvalishvili struggles to complete his takedowns as consistently, Yan finds more opportunities to attack. He lands additional punches before connecting with a damaging liver kick that appears to hurt the former champion.
Yan follows with another kick to the body as the round progresses, giving Dvalishvili something else to consider beyond his repeated attempts to get the fight to the ground.
Yan carries his momentum into the fourth round, and Dvalishvili’s wrestling becomes less effective.
The former champion opens by shooting for another takedown, but Yan defends it and returns to striking range.
The two exchange punches, with Yan finding the target more consistently through his jab, right hand and left hook to the body.
Dvalishvili still had moments of his own, including a solid jab and right hand, but Yan answers with cleaner combinations. He also avoids another takedown before connecting with an uppercut and finishing the round with a kick to the body.
With the fight finely balanced, both men enter the final round knowing how important the closing minutes would be.
Dvalishvili lands an early right hand and continues to push forward, but Yan responds by pressing him toward the fence and attacking with punches and a jumping knee.
The former champion keeps shooting for takedowns, eventually surpassing 50 attempts during the contest. However, Yan continues to defend the entries and punish Dvalishvili with his striking.
Yan repeatedly attack the body with his left hand, forcing Dvalishvili to deal with the damage while still trying to maintain his relentless pace.
The two exchange punches in the closing stages, with Yan landing a left cross followed by another body kick.
After five rounds, the judges awarded Petr Yan a unanimous decision victory, with all three scorecards reading 48–47.
Dvalishvili’s relentless pace made the fight competitive, but Yan’s ability to repeatedly return to his feet and punish the wrestling entries helped him take control during the second half of the contest.
The trilogy also marked Yan’s second straight victory over Dvalishvili, following his win in their previous meeting. After the fight, Dvalishvili congratulated Yan and acknowledged that the champion had been the better fighter on the night.
“I can do better,” Dvalishvili said. “Congratulations to Petr Yan .. he beat me today, he’s the better man. Congratulations to him.”
For Yan, the victory meant more than retaining the belt. It was another statement performance against one of the division’s most persistent wrestlers, confirming that his adjustments had made the difference once again.
Check out the UFC 333 results below.
UFC 333 Main Card
Alexander Volkanovski def. Movsar Evloev via second-round TKO (4:54)
Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili 3 via unanimous decision (48-47 x3)
Lone’er Kavanagh def. Ramazan Temirov via first-round TKO (4:28)
Alexander Volkov def. Rizvan Kuniev via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2)
Aaron Pico def. Losene Keita via first-round TKO (1:14)
UFC 333 Preliminary Card
Dominick Reyes def. Azamat Murzakanov via first-round KO (2:40)
Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Nikita Krylov via first-round TKO (2:38)
Abus Magomedov def. Cam Rowston via submission (guillotine) (R1, 1:44)
Grant Dawson def. Nurullo Aliev via unanimous decision (29-27 x3)
UFC 333 Early Prelims
Colby Thicknesse def. Asaf Chopurov via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon via first-round KO (3:54)
Iasmin Lucindo def. Nicolle Caliari via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
