Petr Yan Confident Ahead of UFC 333 Trilogy Bout with Merab Dvalishvili
Petr Yan Ready for Third Fight Against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333
Petr Yan is confident as he prepares to face Merab Dvalishvili for the third time this Saturday in Abu Dhabi during the co-main event of UFC 333. Their rivalry has been intense, with both fighters having claimed a win each in their previous encounters.
Yan’s first fight against Dvalishvili in March 2023 ended in a dominant decision loss, complicated by a broken hand he suffered during that bout. But in their December rematch, Yan came back healthy and decisively outperformed Dvalishvili, handing him a tough defeat and regaining the UFC bantamweight title.
The question now is if Dvalishvili was overextended during his busy title reign in 2025. He took part in four title fights that year, including the one he lost to Yan. Yan himself said on The Ariel Helwani Show that he wished he could have fought sooner after needing surgery for discs in his lower back, but he isn’t bothered by any doubts about Dvalishvili’s readiness.
"It doesn't annoy me at all," Yan said through an interpreter. "If he wants to use it as an excuse or his fans want to use it as an excuse, soon we’re going to find out. We have a date, less than a week, so we’re going to find out who is a better man."
Recently, Dvalishvili called Yan rude and suggested he needed to be humbled. Yan fired back, saying he was simply honest about their last fight and that it was actually Dvalishvili who felt humbled after losing.
"I wasn’t rude. I was being real, and when I was asked a question and he started to make things up, I just told him to shut up. That’s about it. I wasn’t rude at all," Yan said. "Most important is he himself knows that I humbled him."
Yan’s loss to Dvalishvili in 2023 was part of a tough stretch, but since then he has recovered well, winning three fights in a row to get back into title contention. The injury to his hand has been a major talking point throughout their battles, with Yan pointing out that being able to punch properly made a huge difference in their rematch.
"The biggest difference between fights was that I could punch him, and he himself, in his interviews, admitted he was broken in the second round. So, you can state it for a fact that I made him humble," Yan explained.
With two fights behind them, both men know what to expect and are preparing accordingly. Yan believes he can control the fight and secure another win.
"We have a lot of information about each other. I know what to expect from him this time, and I know how to counter it and believe I can make him fight the way I want: control where the fight goes and defeat him again."
This trilogy fight marks the first bout of the year for both fighters, setting the stage for another intense showdown.
