Dvalishvili vows swift return after Yan claims UFC 333 trilogy decision in Abu Dhabi

Merab Dvalishvili failed to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title on Saturday, losing a 48-47 unanimous decision to Petr Yan in the co-main event of UFC 333 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The trilogy bout moved Yan’s record to 21-5 and left Dvalishvili at 21-6.

Dvalishvili made a strong start, winning the opening two rounds on all three scorecards with relentless wrestling pressure. Yan steadied himself in the third frame, successfully defending takedowns and landing damaging strikes on the feet, a pattern he sustained over the final three rounds to swing all three judges in his favour.

Despite the defeat, Dvalishvili struck a defiant tone in a post-fight statement shared on X. “I cannot wait to be back in that cage doing what I love to do,” he wrote. “I am healthy and motivated and will be back soon. This Machine never breaks.”

The Georgian fighter used the statement to thank his corner — which included former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling alongside Davey Grant, Zviad Lazishvili, and John Wood — as well as his training partners in Las Vegas and New York, the UFC organisation, and his supporters worldwide.

“First and foremost I want to thank God for he has truly blessed me and I am grateful,” Dvalishvili wrote. “Your support and love means the world to me.”

The loss ends Dvalishvili’s bid to recapture a title he had previously held, with Yan now firmly re-established as the division’s champion following a decisive second-half performance in what had been a closely contested fight through the early rounds.