Petr Yan ain’t holding back, telling anyone who will listen that Merab Dvalishvili “knows that I humbled him” last year and was “broken” in their rematch. This isn’t just pre-fight talk, it’s a direct shot as these two get ready to square off for the third time this Saturday in Abu Dhabi at UFC 333’s co-main event. Yan is coming in with a clear message: he owns the last win, and he knows why.
The Back-and-Forth That Built a Trilogy
Man, this rivalry has been a wild ride. Their first fight back in March 2023 saw Dvalishvili grab a dominant decision win. But Yan, he had a broken hand for that one. Fast forward to December 2025, their rematch was a total flip. Yan was healthy, he shut down Dvalishvili’s smothering game, and scored a lopsided decision win of his own to become a two-time UFC bantamweight champion. That performance was one of the best we saw all of 2025. Now, we’re here, looking at the rubber match, and the tension is absolutely buzzing.
Yan’s Ready to Prove a Point, Again
There’s been some chatter about Dvalishvili being too active in his title reign, racking up four title fights in 2025 before losing to Yan. On “The Ariel Helwani Show” this Monday, Yan said he would’ve liked to fight sooner himself, but back surgery kept him sidelined for 10 months. He’s not bothered by any talk questioning Dvalishvili’s preparedness for their last fight. “It doesn’t annoy me at all,” Yan told Uncrowned 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.” Dvalishvili recently threw some shade, calling Yan a “rude person” who needed to be humbled. Yan’s response? He was just “being real,” and Dvalishvili himself was the one humbled by defeat. “Most important is he himself knows that I humbled him,” Yan said, straight up. Yan’s 2023 loss was the end of a tough three-fight skid for him, but he rallied with three dominant wins to get back to the title. He believes his broken hand was a huge factor in that first loss. He says Dvalishvili even admitted in interviews that he was “broken in the second round” of their rematch. Yan is confident. He knows what to expect, and he plans to control where this fight goes and defeat him again.
This trilogy bout is the first fight of the year for both Yan and Dvalishvili. We’ve got less than a week until Saturday, when they step into the cage in Abu Dhabi. It’s time to find out, once and for all, who the better man is.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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