Petr Yan Retains Bantamweight Title with Unanimous Decision over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333
Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in the bantamweight championship co-main event of UFC 333 on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. All three judges scored the five-round fight 48-47.
Yan improved to 21-5 overall and successfully defended the title he regained from Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last December. Dvalishvili fell to 21-6. T
he trilogy match settled a rivalry that began with a dominant decision for Dvalishvili in March 2023 before Yan avenged that result and reclaimed the belt.
Dvalishvili landed more total volume, connecting on 121 of 388 significant strikes to Yan’s 93 of 205. The Georgian also completed five of 58 takedown attempts and held 1:54 of control time compared to Yan’s 0:23. Yan was more efficient on the feet, landing cleaner head and body shots while defending the bulk of the wrestling pressure.
The fight stayed competitive throughout. Dvalishvili pressed forward with combinations and low kicks while Yan answered with counters, body kicks, and sharp combinations of his own.
Late in the fifth round the two traded heavy exchanges, with Yan landing a left cross and another body kick as the clock ran down. Neither man scored a knockdown or submission attempt.
Yan’s second title defense in this reign came against the same opponent who had interrupted his previous championship run.
The Russian’s ability to manage distance and land the more damaging strikes proved decisive on the scorecards despite Dvalishvili’s higher output and grappling activity.
The close margins on all three cards reflected a fight that remained live until the final horn.
Dvalishvili entered the bout looking to regain the belt after losing it in their rematch. His wrestling volume remained high, but the takedown success rate stayed low against Yan’s defense. The loss ends another stretch near the top of the division for the former champion.
Yan leaves Abu Dhabi with the bantamweight title intact and a 2-1 lead in the series. The performance keeps Yan in position for another defense while Dvalishvili returns to the contender ranks after the second consecutive decision loss to the same opponent.
