Yan vs Dvalishvili, part 3, on Saturday, October 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Merab Dvalishvili won all 5 rounds of their 1st fight in 2023. Petr Yan got revenge and the bantamweight title at UFC 323 in December 2025. The champion defends his belt in this rubber match, right before Volkanovski vs Evloev.
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Key takeaways
- Bantamweight champion Petr Yan (20-5) faces Merab Dvalishvili (21-5) for the 3rd time on Saturday, October 24 in Abu Dhabi.
- On March 11, 2023, Dvalishvili won 50-45 on all 3 cards. On December 6, 2025, Yan won 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 to take the title back.
- Dvalishvili, with 16 of his 21 wins on points, calls himself a decision machine.
Yan vs Dvalishvili: one win each
The 1st fight
On March 11, 2023 in Las Vegas, Dvalishvili dominated Yan for 5 rounds, 50-45 on all 3 cards.
The rematch
At UFC 323 on December 6, 2025, Yan, the underdog, won on points (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) and took the belt back. He ended Dvalishvili’s 14-fight winning streak.
The rubber match
It is one of the rare trilogies in UFC history. The 2 men have already spent 50 minutes together in the cage.
2 styles head to head
Dvalishvili, the volume
The Georgian wins mostly on points: 16 of his 21 wins are decisions. In the UFC he has only finished Marlon Moraes in 2021 and Sean O’Malley in his 2nd title defense.
Yan, the precision
The Russian leans on his boxing. He talks about chaos in his opponent’s style and wants to answer it by taking the initiative, MiddleEasy reports.
The odds
Bettors give Yan a slight edge, according to the odds cited by ESPN this week.
There are three ways to win: knockout, submission, or decision. I'm a decision machine.
The UFC 333 card
The lineup
The main event pits Alexander Volkanovski against Movsar Evloev for the featherweight title. Yan vs Dvalishvili goes on right before.
What’s at stake for the division
Dvalishvili has already named Song Yadong and Sean O’Malley as next steps if he wins.
Follow the fight
Petr Yan’s and Merab Dvalishvili’s profiles, records and fight histories are in the FightHub app.
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