Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili go to war as champion retains his title at UFC 333
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Petr Yan retained his bantamweight title at UFC 333, defeating Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision after five intense rounds in their trilogy bout.
Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili left everything they had in the octagon in their trilogy bout at UFC 333. Yan reclaimed the title by dethroning Dvalishvili at UFC 323 and entered UFC 333 for his first title defense since regaining the belt.
Their trilogy fight took place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. They co-headlined UFC 333, which was headlined by the featherweight title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev.
Petr Yan survives Merab Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure to defend his title at UFC 333
Dvalishvili did what many expected him to do; he immediately shot for a takedown in the first round, and Yan defended it successfully. ‘The Machine’ kept shooting for takedowns relentlessly and later mixed them with strikes, which worked in his favor. He managed to secure a takedown in the final minute of the round, but the reigning champion immediately got back to his feet.
The second round went similarly to the first, and Dvalishvili comfortably took both rounds. Things started to change in the third, as Yan began finding success with his striking. He landed clean punches, and a sharp body shot appeared to hurt Dvalishvili, forcing him onto the back foot. The two exchanged strikes throughout the round.
The champion carried that momentum into the fourth round, where his accuracy became increasingly important. Yan landed another effective body shot, found his jab, and continued to pressure Dvalishvili with precise combinations.
With Yan appearing to have the stronger striking exchanges in the third and fourth rounds, the fight headed into the final five minutes with the outcome still hanging in the balance.
Yan surprised Dvalishvili by attempting a takedown of his own early in the fifth round, although the challenger successfully defended it. Dvalishvili responded with clean strikes and continued pushing the pace, looking to swing the fight back in his favor.
However, Yan’s striking accuracy remained a key factor. The champion connected with sharp punches during the exchanges and appeared to land the more damaging shots as both fighters battled through the final round.
After five rounds of back-and-forth battle, the fight went to the judges’ scorecards. All three judges scored it 48-47 for Yan, and he successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision victory at UFC 333.
