Петр Ян болон Мераб Двалишвили нарын гурав дахь тулаан UFC 333 хүрээнд болно

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight greats Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili will collide this weekend (Sat., Oct. 24, 2026) inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for UFC 333.

This is such a great fight for so many reasons. For one, I love any matchup in which there are concrete and clear reasons each man should win. Watch the first fight, and a “Machine” victory is the obvious outcome, whereas looking at a picture of Dvalishvili’s face in the aftermath of the second bout is all anybody needs to know that a Yan victory is assured. You can make sound, credible arguments for either man taking the trilogy, and yet, it’s difficult to have real confidence in how the fight will play out.

In addition, the top spot of the Bantamweight pantheon is (arguably) on the line. Dvalishvili was a popular new pick for divisional G.O.A.T. after his absurd three title defense start to 2025, while Yan backers can point to his pair of title reigns and world-class array of techniques to support the “No Mercy” argument. The best Bantamweight debut will never fully settle, of course, yet the defeated man here is undoubtedly eliminated from the conversation.

It’s all on the line! Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 Betting Odds

• Petr Yan victory: -158
• Petr Yan via TKO/KO/DQ: +180
• Petr Yan via submission: +1400
• Petr Yan via decision: +1600
• Merab Dvalishvili victory: +124
• Merab Dvalishvili via TKO/KO/DQ: +460
• Merab Dvalishvili via submission: +3000
• Merab Dvalishvili via decision: +130
• Odds viaFanDuel Sportsbook

How Yan Wins

When Yan is firing on all cylinders, he’s one of the most impressively skilled fighters to ever compete. The Russian is an outstanding kickboxer with smart pressure and dangerous weapons from both stances, so good on the feet that fans forget how excellent his wrestling is! Whether it’s that slick stepping trip takedown or a classic shot along the fence, Yan can scramble with the best of them.

As Dvalishvili really found out in the rematch.

This article is going to frequently reference the first round of Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2, which differed greatly from the opening frame of the first fight. It was five minutes in which everything went correctly for Yan and poorly for “The Machine.” Recreating a similar experience is absolutely key for Yan, who wants to set the tone early and continue delivering a beating.

He cannot let the Georgian great build momentum under any circumstance. Last time out, Yan did so well in avoiding his usual slow start. He let Dvalishvili punch for a couple minutes, sure, but then he was releasing his right hand and scoring ripping body shots. He forced Dvalishvili to shoot under duress, making those takedowns easier to stuff and giving himself further opportunities to land as a result.

A similar quick start is damn near a requirement for victory.

Body work and attritional damage was the other main key for Yan in the rematch. The liver kicks, clinch knees, even the elbows to the forearms — it all served to chip away at Dvalishvili’s inhuman gas tank and durability. In the championship rounds, Yan had little trouble dealing with his opponent’s pace, because he was facing a diminished man.

The goal here is to break him down once more.

How Dvalishvili Wins

Is “The Machine” the most appropriate nickname in mixed martial arts (MMA) history? Dvalishvili doesn’t get tired. His wrestling pace in the first Yan was truly inspired, a peerless feat against an incredible opponent. I won’t say Dvalishvili doesn’t feel pain — he’s known to audibly express his displeasure at a heavy body shot — but he is outrageously capable of tanking damage without crumbling or losing faith in himself.

Dvalishvili is perhaps the sport’s best snowball. Let him build momentum and suck you into his ceaseless cycle of takedowns, strikes, and mat returns, and there’s no coming back. In the second bout, Dvalishvili waited too long to play to his strengths and boxed with Yan too much to start the contest. He was compromised before his first real takedown attempt, and the Dvalishvili ball never got rolling.

In the first round of the first fight, conversely, Dvalishvili was a man possessed. He did little but shoot relentlessly and hammer at the calf, putting his own version of attritional damage on Yan. By the time Yan felt ready to open up, his lead leg was bruised and his lungs screaming — he couldn’t take advantage of all that standup finesse because he was already busy trying to dig out of a hole.

Dvalishvili has to correct his approach and see his boxing as a means to open up low kicks and takedown entries. If he can keep focus and avoid taking too much damage, his chance at a second title skyrockets.

Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 Prediction

It’s not usual that I make it down to this section of the article still unsure of my final prediction. It’s so hard to make sense of the two fights. In victory over the other, both Yan and Dvalishvili put on some of the most spectacular performances of the last decade. Dvalishvili’s original win was uniquely relentless — it still holds the record for most takedowns attempted in a UFC fight — and Yan’s rematch victory was one of the greatest technical showcases of taking apart a wrestler that I’ve ever seen.

Both wins, frankly, are anomalies even compared to the other great wins the duo have scored over the years.

Then, there’s all the general questions around Merab. For instance, a Dvalishvili optimist might assume that he competed too often last year and thus limited himself (I agree!), while a pessimist might surmise that his utterly destroyed nose could be a problem here (I also agree!). Yan, meanwhile, is no spring chicken himself after many 25-minute scraps and significant injuries.

I almost feel it necessary to throw out both of their previous fights in predicting the third. Perhaps just looking at the original style matchup in a vacuum is the key to drowning out all the noise. In that case, I’ve long maintained that Dvalishvili is a man who succeeds in spite of his style rather than because of it, whereas Yan is one of the most put-together fighters in the history of the sport.

My final call? We end up with something in the middle of the two previous fights: a continually competitive bout that nether man dominates, yet Yan’s damage is ultimately valued over Dvalishvili’s control.

Prediction: Yan via decision

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