Yan retains UFC bantamweight title at UFC 333, hints at private political exchange with Dvalishvili

Petr Yan retained his UFC bantamweight championship with a unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy bout at UFC 333 on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. All three judges scored the fight 48-47 for Yan in what was awarded Fight of the Night honours.

Dvalishvili controlled the early rounds, but Yan steadily clawed back momentum over the final three to secure the verdict and cement his grip on the 135-pound title.

In the moments after the final horn, the two fighters — who had spoken before the bout about their contrasting personalities making a friendship unlikely — shook hands and exchanged mutual respect. Yan then revealed at the post-fight press conference that their conversation briefly turned to politics, though he stopped short of disclosing what was said.

“Shook hands, said thank you to each other, congratulated each other on the great fight,” Yan said. “And then kind of discussed a few political issues that are gonna stay there. But I’m sure you’ll hear it; there were microphones everywhere. At some point, it will come out. But I would rather leave it between us for now, until it gets published.”

Yan acknowledged that Octagon-side microphones likely captured the exchange, suggesting the audio could surface publicly at some point — though he made clear he was not the one who would be releasing it.

The trilogy result adds another chapter to a rivalry that has now gone the distance across three meetings, with Yan ultimately prevailing in the most complete performance of the series.