Yan and Dvalishvili Turned Their Rivalry Into a Title
Petr Yan retained the UFC bantamweight championship against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333 on October 24, 2026. Their third meeting ended with a unanimous decision, with every judge scoring it 48–47 for Yan at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Dvalishvili won the first meeting
The rivalry began with a five-round contest on March 11, 2023. Dvalishvili won by unanimous decision, adding a significant victory over a former bantamweight champion.
Yan subsequently rebuilt momentum through victories over Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee. That sequence eventually brought him back to Dvalishvili, this time with the championship at stake.
Yan reversed the result for the belt
Their December 6, 2025, rematch headlined UFC 323 in Las Vegas. Yan applied more forward pressure than in their first encounter, landing damaging head and body shots across the fight.
He won by unanimous decision, with two judges scoring it 49–46 and the other returning 48–47. The victory made Yan bantamweight champion again.
The third fight tested his adjustments
Dvalishvili opened the trilogy at a relentless pace, forcing Yan to defend repeated takedown attempts. Yan gradually created more effective striking opportunities as the contest progressed.
The championship remained with Yan after five rounds and another unanimous verdict. Two consecutive wins over Dvalishvili changed the direction of their rivalry after the Georgian’s opening victory, replacing speculation about a rematch with two completed championship contests.
Sources
- UFC: first Dvalishvili loss and intervening victories
- UFC: rematch tactics and title-winning scores
- UFC: December date and Las Vegas venue
- UFC: trilogy sequence and championship defense
