Petr Yan Faces Merab Dvalishvili in Bantamweight Trilogy Bout at UFC 333

Petr Yan will put his bantamweight title on the line against Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout at UFC 333, with the champion looking for the first successful defense of his second reign.

Yan first won UFC gold nearly six years ago and now holds the belt again. His 20-5 record includes a unanimous decision over Dvalishvili at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025, the fight that returned the title to him. That result came after wins over Marcus McGhee in July 2025 and Deiveson Figueiredo in November 2024, all three by decision. At 33, the Russian is a switch-stance striker who lands 5.12 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy, and he trains out of the Archangel Michael Club.

Dvalishvili, 35, is 21-5 and ranks first in the bantamweight division and second on the pound-for-pound list. The Georgian from the Serra-Longo Fight Team is built on pressure and wrestling, averaging 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes. His 4.33 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy trail Yan's marks. Before the loss at UFC 323, his most recent recorded wins came over Cory Sandhagen in October 2025 and Sean O'Malley, by submission, in June 2025.

Why it matters

• The series is level at one win apiece. Dvalishvili took a unanimous decision at their first meeting on March 11, 2023, and Yan answered with his own unanimous decision at UFC 323.
• Both previous fights went the full five rounds, so neither man has finished the other.
• The numbers point to a clear style contrast: Yan out-strikes Dvalishvili by 0.79 significant strikes per minute and 12 percentage points of accuracy, while Dvalishvili's takedown rate is roughly four times Yan's 1.58 per 15 minutes.
• Dvalishvili stands five-foot-six with a 68-inch reach, against Yan's five-foot-seven and 67 inches, a gap of one inch in height with the reach edge going the other way.

For Yan, a successful defense would show his second title run is more than a one-fight return. For Dvalishvili, the rubber match is a chance to reclaim the belt from the man who took it from him.