Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan will meet for a third time at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi. The trilogy bout was officially announced by the UFC, with tickets going on sale Monday.
The UFC has officially announced a trilogy bout between Merab Dvalishvili and bantamweight champion Petr Yan, set to headline UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on October 24, 2026. Tickets go on sale Monday.
Dvalishvili, known as "The Machine," enters the fight ranked first in the bantamweight division and second on the pound-for-pound list. The 35-year-old Georgian carries a record of 21 wins and 5 losses and trains out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Standing five-foot-six with a 68-inch reach, he is one of the most relentless wrestlers in the sport, averaging 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes. He also generates a steady output on the feet, landing 4.33 significant strikes per minute.
Yan, the reigning bantamweight champion, brings a 20-5 record into the rubber match. The 33-year-old Russian, nicknamed "No Mercy," trains with the Archangel Michael Club and fights out of a switch stance. At five-foot-seven with a 67-inch reach, Yan is widely regarded as one of the most technically precise strikers in the division, landing 5.12 significant strikes per minute at a 54 percent accuracy rate.
Why it matters
- With Dvalishvili ranked number one and Yan holding the title, this trilogy carries the full weight of bantamweight supremacy.
- The stylistic contrast is sharp: Dvalishvili's elite wrestling volume against Yan's high-accuracy striking and championship-level experience.
- A third fight between two fighters who have already shared the cage gives each man a chance to settle the series definitively and clarify who controls the 135-pound division heading into 2027.
Saturday, October 24, 2026
