UFC 333 Highlights! Yan Outclasses Merab To Win Epic Trilogy Fight

Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili put an end to their rivalry earlier today (Sat., Oct. 24, 2026) at UFC 333 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as Yan outworked Dvalishvili over five hard rounds to retain his UFC bantamweight championship.

Heading into this fight everybody knew that Dvalishvili was going to have to succeed with his wresting attacks to win back the 135-pound title. That’s exactly what Dvalishvili did early on as he scored five hard-earned takedowns in the first two rounds. This opened up the striking game for Dvalishvili as he landed leg kicks and some solid punches from range. Yan looked just a step behind.

Things completely flipped in Round 3 as Yan started to defend every takedown attempt that Dvalishvili threw his way. Once Yan knew he wasn’t going to be fighting off his back his elite striking rose to the surface. Whether it were kicks to the body, knees inside, or clean right hands from distance, Yan began to piece Dvalishvili up. This continued for the remainder of the fight as Dvalishvili couldn’t find another takedown and was never going to catch up with his hands. He certainly made it fun, though.

In the end, it was Yan who did enough over five rounds to walk away with the unanimous decision win and his UFC bantamweight title in tow. It was one of the best fights at 135 pounds this year and a definitive end to one of the biggest trilogy fights in division history.

Check out the video highlights below:

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