YAN WINS THE TRILOGY: 48-47 Comeback Over Dvalishvili at UFC 333

Down two rounds, Petr Yan took the last three and kept his bantamweight title, closing a trilogy that started in 2023.

"Last time it was a one-page plan. This time he prepared a five-page plan."

Petr Yan said it before UFC 333. By the end of Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, the plan had done its work exactly when it had to.

Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in the UFC 333 co-main event on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Etihad Arena. All three judges scored it 48-47. Yan keeps the bantamweight title he won back at UFC 323, and he wins the trilogy 2-1.

The first half of the fight did not look like that at all.

Down Early, Then The Turn

Dvalishvili won the first two rounds on both live blogs, MMA Mania and Sportskeeda reported. He pressed from the opening bell, hunted takedowns, and gave Yan no room to breathe. Yan landed in spots, but the challenger owned the pace.

Round three started the swing. Yan defended better, found his jab, and landed the body work that had hurt Dvalishvili in their rematch. By the fourth, MMA Mania noted, Dvalishvili was looking tired for once in his life. Yan had space to operate, and he used it.

The fifth belonged to the champion. Yan kept going to the body with kicks and shots, stuffed the late takedown attempts, and closed the fight brawling on his terms. Three rounds to two on every card. That is how a 20-18 deficit becomes a 48-47 win.

The Five-Page Plan Pays Off

Yan had told The Ariel Helwani Show that his coach, Kairat Nurmagambetov, had gone from a one-page plan at UFC 323 to five pages for the trilogy. "It looks more like a football team practice than an MMA game plan," Yan said. "For every situation, there's a detailed breakdown."

Saturday was the situation the plan was built for: two rounds down, a relentless wrestler in front of him, a title on the line. Yan did not panic. He adjusted, round by round, until the fight was his.

Fight-Week Facts Pay Off

The fight-week facts all paid off in the result. Dvalishvili came in with a nose broken in two places in training, an injury he chose not to have fixed before the fight. Coach Ray Longo had warned on the Anik & Florian Podcast that the nose could bleed in a close fight.

Dvalishvili had also told his own followers he regained 19 pounds in five hours after weighing 135, reaching 154 on his own scale. That regain was self-reported, not an official weight.

None of it saved him once Yan found his rhythm. The pressure that won the first two rounds could not win the last three.

Trilogy Settled

This rivalry has now given the division three completely different fights. Dvalishvili dominated the first meeting in March 2023, winning 50-45 on all three cards. Yan answered at UFC 323 in December 2025, winning 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 to take the belt. Now Yan has answered again, this time from behind.

Both men weighed 135 exactly on Friday. Yan entered 20-5 in MMA, Dvalishvili 21-5. The numbers after Saturday are simple: Yan leads the series 2-1, and the belt stays with him.

Dvalishvili came to Abu Dhabi to prove December was an anomaly. For two rounds, he looked like he might. Then the champion did what champions in a trilogy are supposed to do: he solved the same problem a second time, under worse conditions, and walked out with the belt still around his waist.