
Petr Yan plans to silence any remaining doubters when he defends his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy bout at UFC 333 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
The Russian champion dominated Dvalishvili last December to capture the belt, evening their series after the Georgian controlled their first meeting. Yan told UFC 333 Countdown he intends to leave no ambiguity this time around. "At UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, I want to win in spectacular, decisive fashion so neither the judges nor the spectators have any questions left about my story with Merab," he said, per BJ Penn.
A second consecutive lopsided victory would effectively close the book on the rivalry and make it difficult for Dvalishvili to earn another crack at the champion. The stakes weigh heavily on both men, but Yan enters the co-main event brimming with confidence about his superiority.
Yan has won four straight fights and carries an 11-4 UFC record, though he never successfully defended the title in his first reign after losing by disqualification to Aljamain Sterling. He also held the interim bantamweight strap before reclaiming the undisputed championship from Dvalishvili.
A statement performance on Saturday would cement Yan as the division's legitimate ruler and potentially launch a lengthy title run. The bout headlines the UFC 333 co-main event beneath Alexander Volkanovski's featherweight title defense against Movsar Evloev.
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