Petr Yan did it again.
The UFC men's bantamweight champion defended his title against former beltholder Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333, earning a hard-fought victory via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47),
Dvalishvili (21-6) controlled the bulk of the opening two rounds with constant takedown attempts that kept Yan on the defensive. Even with Yan (21-5) successfully defending most of those shots, the sheer output and pressure from Dvalishvili kept the champion so busy that he hardly managed any offense of his own.
But in the third, Yan began to take over. As Dvalishvili's takedown attempts became slower and fewer, Yan backed him up with damaging strikes to the head and body. A hard shot to the liver sent Dvalishvili backpedaling at one point, with a punch combo staggering him shortly thereafter.
It was more of the same in the fourth and fifth rounds. Dvalishvili continued trying for takedowns, but as his success rate fell, Yan's control of the fight grew. He began stringing together punches that left Dvalishvili's face bruised and battered. By the end of the final frame, it was all Dvalishvili could do to hold on until the final horn.
When it was all over, Dvalishvili was credited with a total of 47 takedown attempts in five rounds, but only five of those were deemed successful.
All three judges saw the fight the same way, giving the defending champ three rounds on the scorecards. Asked after the win about the prospect of facing no. 2 bantamweight Song Yadong next, Yan stressed that as champion his job is to take on all comers — not to choose his own opponents.