Merab Dvalishvili and Movsar Evloev break their silence after UFC 333 👀 Merab promises to return following his loss to Petr Yan, while Movsar congratulates Alexander Volkanovski and accepts his first career defeat. Respect to both warriors 🤝 Polymarket Partner. Trading is risky, 100% loss may occur.
Merab Dvalishvili and Movsar Evloev have both spoken publicly in the days after UFC 333. Dvalishvili vowed to return after his loss to Petr Yan, while Evloev congratulated Alexander Volkanovski and accepted the first defeat of his professional career.
Dvalishvili, 35, drops to 21-6 after losing a unanimous decision to Yan over five rounds on October 24. It was the second straight title-fight loss to Yan by the same method, following their December 2025 meeting at UFC 323. The Georgian, who trains with the Serra-Longo Fight Team, had beaten Yan by unanimous decision in March 2023, which means the series now stands at two wins for Yan and one for Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili remains ranked number one at bantamweight and sits second in the pound-for-pound rankings. His takedown rate of 5.97 per 15 minutes is among the most prolific in the sport, though Yan, with a striking accuracy of 54 percent against Dvalishvili's 41, has now twice shut down that pressure over five rounds.
Evloev, 32, falls to 20-1 after a second-round KO/TKO loss to Volkanovski in the UFC 333 main event, a title fight. The Russian, who trains at American Top Team, entered the night ranked number one at featherweight. His previous bout, a majority decision over Lerone Murphy in March 2026, went the full five rounds, so the stoppage was a sharp change from his recent pattern. Evloev averages 4.78 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 3.91 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- Dvalishvili has lost two consecutive five-round title fights to the same opponent, both unanimous decisions, after winning the belt-contending fight against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.
- Evloev's loss ends a run that included a win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310 in December 2024 and leaves his featherweight standing to be sorted out.
- Yan, 33, is now 21-5 and holds the bantamweight title, having beaten Dvalishvili in back-to-back meetings.
Both fighters struck a respectful tone in their responses, with Dvalishvili promising a comeback and Evloev owning the result.
