In Saturday’s co-main event at UFC 333 inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Petr Yan battled through adversity in a five-round war with Dvalishvili, and was ultimately declared the victor by unanimous decision in their trilogy match.
The pair first met back in 2023 in a non-title match, with Yan coming up short on the judges’ scorecards. Then, in their long-awaited rematch last December, the Russian avenged his loss to Dvalishvili, regaining the bantamweight title and tying their series up at one win each.
After once again earning his seat at the top of the division, the 135-pound titleholder underwent major back surgery to address long-term spinal damage and herniated discs. During his 5-month recovery, he underwent an additional procedure before returning to the gym to ramp up his post-recovery training during the late summer. Now, after a suitable recovery timeline for such a major injury, Yan has returned and successfully captured the first defense of his current reign at 135-pounds.
The Champ is starting to find his groove 👀
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— UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2026
Early in the match, Dvalishvili went to work with his wrestling, establishing serious dominance right away by powerfully bringing Yan to the canvas. But the Georgian was unable to maintain any kind of ground control after the takedown, and as the fight progressed, it became increasingly harder for Dvalishvili to even get a hold of his opponent.
Through his defensive wrestling ability, strikes to the body when in close, and long-range power shots, Yan was able to outwork Dvalishvili in all three championship rounds, resulting in the unanimous judges’ decision after 25-minutes of action.
Official Result: Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili via Decision (Unanimous) – 48-47, 48-47, 48-47
Following the match, Yan was asked by Daniel Cormier during the post fight interview who he is interested in facing next, and if the No. 2 ranked Song Yadong (13-4-1 UFC) was part of his future fight plans. Yan responded by stating clearly that he’s the champion, and he will fight whoever the promotion puts in front of him, including Song Yadong.
UFC 333 Full Card Results:
Main
Alexander Volkanovski def. Movsar Evloev via TKO (Punches) – Round 2, 4:54 – Featherweight title defense
Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili via Decision (Unanimous)
Lone’er Kavanagh def. Ramazan Temirov via TKO (Punches) – Round 1, 4:28
Alexander Volkov def. Rizvan Kuniev via Decision (Unanimous)
Aaron Pico def. Losene Keita via TKO (Punches) – Round 1, 1:14Preliminary
Dominick Reyes def. Azamat Murzakanov via KO (Head Kick) – Round 1, 2:40
Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Nikita Krylov via TKO (Punches) – Round 1, 2:38
Abus Magomedov def. Cam Rowston via Submission (Guillotine) – Round 1, 1:44
Grant Dawson def. Nurullo Aliev via Decision (Unanimous)
Colby Thicknesse def. Asaf Chopurov via Decision (Split)
Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun via Decision (Unanimous)
Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki via Decision (Unanimous)
Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon via KO (Punch) – Round 1, 3:54
Iasmin Lucindo def. Nicolle Caliari via Decision (Unanimous)