Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili meet for a third time Saturday at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with the bantamweight title on the line. The main card begins at 2 p.m. ET. The matchup comes down to one question: who will make better decisions?
Dvalishvili, known as "The Machine," pushed the limits of MMA history in 2025. He successfully defended the UFC bantamweight championship three times in 10 months, then attempted an unprecedented fourth title defense in a single calendar year in December. He lost the belt to Yan by five-round decision at UFC 323. No UFC fighter had ever defended a title four times in a year, and none had tried before him. To attempt it, he cut weight twice in 63 days and concealed a significant knee injury from his team after UFC physicians suggested he consider withdrawing.
"Everything went bad," Dvalishvili admitted to ESPN. "I had the worst game plan, worst camp, worst training of any championship fight. But it's no excuse. I have no excuses. Yan beat me." His record now stands at 21-5, while Yan is 20-5.
His relentless drive has defined his career and endeared him to fans, but it can also make the difficult sport of MMA more challenging. Former champion Aljamain Sterling, his longtime training partner, said he admired the pursuit of history but had doubts from the start. "I knew we were in trouble coming out of the gate," Sterling said. "I didn't have a good feeling about it."
The fighters' head coach, John Wood, says Dvalishvili recently sparred 10 rounds in a single session, with seven rounds on the day he was observed. Whether such intensity is wise remains an open question, and Saturday's fight may show whether Dvalishvili has learned to balance ambition with judgment.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing