“Fear in Yan’s eyes”: Fans react to Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili’s final face-off ahead of UFC 333

UFC 333 will go down at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The co-main event is expected to deliver a crazy fight for the fans, as Petr Yan will defend his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili, from whom he captured the belt at UFC 323. The bout will mark their trilogy, with the two heading into UFC 333 at 1-1.

The whole MMA community is talking about the bout, and the intense final face-off at the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 333 has sparked even more anticipation. Fans shared their reactions to the staredown.

UFC fans share bold predictions after Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili’s final staredown

Following the face-off, fans took to social media to share their predictions and reactions ahead of the bantamweight title fight. 

One fan predicted a difficult night for 'The Machine', writing, “Merab is gunna get cracked.”

Another fan went further, predicting that Dvalishvili could suffer a fight-ending injury, commenting, “Merab nose goin to get split and it's going to end by doctor stoppage.” 

The prediction comes as Dvalishvili has previously revealed that he has been dealing with a nose injury. The former champion said doctors recommended surgery, which would require him to take time away from competition. However, ‘The Machine' chose to keep fighting rather than undergo the procedure and risk a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

One fan suggested that the champion looked nervous during the face-off, writing, “Fear in Yan's eyes Imao didn't expect that actually. Maybe a bad weight cut.”

Other fans kept their predictions short, with one backing Yan by writing, “Yan about show levels,”

While Dvalishvili supporters responded with comments such as “Merab win” and “let's go merab.”

Check out more fan reactions below:

Yan broke Dvalishvili’s 14-fight win streak to become the new bantamweight champion in their second meeting at UFC 323. The Russian went through a back-and-forth fight and secured a decision victory to get his hand raised.

Now that the two will go head-to-head again this Saturday in their immediate trilogy, Dvalishvili has remained confident and said that the Russian will need to finish him to get his hand raised, as he will never quit in the fight.

Merab Dvalishvili vows never to quit against Petr Yan at UFC 333

Reflecting on their previous encounter, Dvalishvili acknowledged the punishment he endured but insisted that quitting was never an option for him. The Georgian also warned Yan that he would have to knock him out completely to secure another victory.

“I never even considered quitting. I wasn't going to quit until I died. And it's going to be the same thing this time. He has to knock me out cold; otherwise, I'm going to keep fighting.”

Check out Merab Dvalishvili’s comments below: