Petr Yan retains bantamweight title, outlasting Dvalishvili's record 56 takedown attempts at UFC 333

Petr Yan retained the UFC bantamweight title by unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili in the trilogy's deciding fight, closing out the co-main event of UFC 333 on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. All three judges scored it 48-47 for Yan.

Dvalishvili opened aggressively, winning the first two rounds on every scorecard behind pressure and volume, according to theScore's recap of the bout. He finished with a UFC record for takedown attempts in a single fight, going 5 for 56. Despite the volume, Yan adjusted in the third round, stuffing most of Dvalishvili's entries and turning the fight with power punches to the head and body. He carried that control through the final two rounds, closing out the fifth with a sustained attack that sealed the scorecards.

The result moves the rivalry to 2-1 in Yan's favor. Dvalishvili won the first meeting, a non-title decision in March 2023. Yan avenged that loss at UFC 323 in December 2025, taking the bantamweight title by decision in the process; Saturday was his first defense of that second reign.

It is Dvalishvili's second consecutive loss, the first time he has dropped back-to-back fights in his career. He had held the title since beating Sean O'Malley in September 2024 and defended it three times, against Umar Nurmagomedov, O'Malley again, and Cory Sandhagen, before Yan took it from him last December.

Yan, 33, has now won five straight fights and has not lost since that first encounter with Dvalishvili more than three and a half years ago.