UFC 333: Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Prediction

Bantamweight GOAT status is on the line as Petr Yan defends his title against Merab Dvalishvili in the culmination of an epic trilogy.

Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili facts

What time are Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili expected to walk out? 24 October 2026 at 8:45 pm

Where is UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev? Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Where can I get tickets for UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 333

What TV channel is UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev main card

Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev (Featherweight)

Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili (Bantamweight)

Lone’er Kavanagh vs Ramazan Temirov (Flyweight)

Alexander Volkov vs Rizvan Kuniev (Heavyweight)

Aaron Pico vs Losene Keita (Featherweight)

UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev prelims

Azamat Murzakanov vs Dominick Reyes (Light Heavyweight)

Nikita Krylov vs Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (Light Heavyweight)

Abusupiyan Magomedov vs Cameron Rowston (Middleweight)

Grant Dawson vs Nurullo Aliev (Lightweight)

Colby Thicknesse vs Asaf Chopurov (Bantamweight)

Abubakar Vagaev vs Jacob Malkoun (Middleweight)

Bolaji Oki vs Daniel Santos (Lightweight)

Kody Steele vs Noah Gugnon (Lightweight)

Iasmin Lucindo vs Nicolle Caliari (Catchweight - 120.5 lbs)

Petr Yan: Does “No Mercy” produce another vintage performance to close out the rivalry?

A three fight losing streak from 2022-2023, punctuated by a one-sided 50-45 decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili, had many labelling two-time champion, Petr Yan (20-5), as a case study in wasted potential at 135 pounds. Fast forward to 2026, and he’s now regarded as the only man with a case to rival “The Machine” in the bantamweight GOAT debate. “No Mercy’s” loss to Merab clearly lit a fire under the Russian, with Yan reeling off three wins to earn a second shot at the Georgian, dominating him from pillar to post at UFC 323 to win the belt back in a huge upset. A supremely well-rounded threat, Yan is also known as one of the most technical strikers in bantamweight history.

Merab Dvalishvili: Will “The Machine” restart and return to form, or is the Georgian’s time at the top done?

Prior to dropping his belt to Yan in his last fight, Merab Dvalishvili (21-5) was riding a fourteen fight win streak and was widely acknowledged to be the best bantamweight in MMA history. “The Machine’s” relentless pressure grappling game saw him run roughshod over some of the best bantamweights on the roster, scoring one-sided wins over likes of Sean O’Malley (x2), Cory Sandhagen, and Jose Aldo; he also notably completely dominated Yan in their first fight back in 2023. However, considering the flawless display turned in by “No Mercy” in their most recent fight, many have raised the question as to how much of that performance was owed to the fact that Yan was suffering from a broken hand at the time.

Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili prediction

In a similar vein to Yan’s hand injury in the first fight, there’s an argument to be made that the Merab who showed up last time wasn’t the best version of “The Machine.”

Dvalishvili endured four championship fight camps and five round fights in the space of one year prior to facing the Russian; that’s absolutely insane activity, capable of draining even the highest level athletes in the sport. He’s had almost a year to recover, meaning that we could well get the best version of Dvalishvili on Saturday night. Throw in Yan’s struggles with persistent injuries and there’s a solid chance of an upset for the Georgian.

However, it’s hard to ignore just how decisively Yan beat Merab last time out. The Russian pulverized Dvalishvili on the feet, stuffed all but two of his takedowns, and grounded the Georgian five times himself. “No Mercy” produced a near flawless blueprint as to how to beat Merab; given his technical prowess, the safe pick is for him to follow the same formula to victory once again.

I wouldn’t even be surprised if Yan improves on his performance last time out; he hurt Dvalishvili to the body on multiple occasions, and I can see a finish materializing if he decides to go upstairs with a head kick or a knee after softening up the Georgian’s trunk. Merab is a live dog, but we’re leaning towards Yan to take the trilogy here.

Prediction: Petr Yan to win