Yan vs Dvalishvili 3: how the first two fights went before UFC 333
Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili 3 is a bantamweight title fight: Yan defends the UFC belt against the man he took it from, in the co-main event of UFC 333 on Saturday 24 October at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Dvalishvili won the first fight in 2023 by decision, Yan won the second at UFC 323 in December 2025 by decision, so the series stands at 1-1.
The title, the date and the place
UFC 333 is headlined by Volkanovski vs. Evloev. According to schedule listings, the main card starts at 2 PM ET, 8 PM CEST and 10 PM in Abu Dhabi, and the trilogy is the last fight before the main event. Exact walkout times are not official.
Pugna MMA's data shows Yan (20-5) as the champion and the number 4 fighter in the UFC men's pound-for-pound ranking. Dvalishvili (21-5) is the number 1 contender at bantamweight and number 9 pound-for-pound. FanDuel lists Yan as a -170 favourite, according to Yahoo Sports.
Fight one: Dvalishvili's pressure in 2023
The first fight took place on 11 March 2023 in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili won a unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 50-45, according to Bloody Elbow's stats review. He attempted a UFC-record 49 takedowns and landed 11 of them. Yan landed 1 of 5. Dvalishvili also led in significant strikes, 147 to 75, and had close to seven minutes of control time.
Fight two: how Yan stopped the takedowns at UFC 323
The rematch on 6 December 2025 went the other way. Yan won a unanimous decision in the Las Vegas main event and regained the title. ESPN reported scores of 49-46 on two cards and 48-47 on the third.
Dvalishvili started 0 for 13 on takedowns through the first two rounds, according to ESPN, and finished 2 of 29. Yan went 5 of 9 and landed 139 significant strikes at 60% accuracy, against 134 at 35% for Dvalishvili, based on the fight statistics. Dvalishvili had two submission attempts in the late rounds but Yan was not finished. The loss ended a 14-fight winning streak for Dvalishvili, Yahoo Sports reported.
What each fighter has to change
Sherdog quotes Yan as saying Dvalishvili's constant pressure does not rattle him and that it will show "who we really are".
The numbers frame the questions. Dvalishvili landed only 2 of 29 takedowns in the rematch, so the first problem is how to get Yan to the mat more often over five rounds. Yan has to hold the distance and the pace that worked at UFC 323 against an opponent who attempted 49 takedowns in the first fight and 29 in the second.
Where the winner stands
Yan's last four bouts all went the distance: Song Yadong at UFC 299, Deiveson Figueiredo in November 2024, Marcus McGhee in July 2025 and Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Before that loss, Dvalishvili had beaten Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O'Malley and Cory Sandhagen. A win for Yan would give him the first defence of the belt he regained, and a win for Dvalishvili would make him a two-time champion and settle the series 2-1.
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