Merab Dvalishvili was on the cusp of making history last year at UFC 323, attempting to defend his 135-pound title for a record fourth time in a single calendar year. However, despite a valiant effort, ‘The Machine’ lost his bantamweight belt to Petr Yan via a unanimous decision. Now, the former champion has revealed the exact moment when he realized he couldn’t win the fight.

Nearly a year after their last encounter, Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan are set to settle their score in a highly anticipated trilogy bout, co-headlining at UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the high-stakes clash, the Georgian fighter made a candid admission about their last meeting, revealing that he realized the fight was lost as early as the second round when Yan seamlessly stuffed his takedown attempts. 

“I think second round, I came back to the plan of I’m going to take him down, and I shot at him, and I really tried, and he defended again my takedowns,” Dvalishvili told UFC on Paramount+. “In 10 seconds, all my energy came out and then I’m like, ‘What now? I don’t think I can take him down. I’m going to have to just fight.’ Then I was just fighting. Plan was to do whatever I want.

“I said I can strike with him, and if I want, I can take him down. I was striking with him, he got me and then second round, I tried to take him down, and I wasn’t able to. I’m like, ‘What should I do now?’ Then I was just having fun, and I’m going to enjoy the fight. I realized in the second fight, I was not going to win this fight, and I was just going to enjoy the fight.”  

Merab Dvalishvili recalled how Petr Yan’s takedown defense in the second round turned the tide of their fight last year at T-Mobile Arena, shutting down ‘The Machine’s’ wrestling-heavy game.

According to UFC stats, Dvalishvili attempted 8 takedowns in the first round and 5 in the second, bringing his total to 13 attempts across the first two rounds, all of which Yan masterfully defended. 

Despite that, Dvalishvili maintained an edge in striking in the first round because Yan primarily focused on staying on his feet. However, the Russian unleashed violence right from the second round, forcing ‘The Machine’ to take a backseat.

Interestingly, ‘No Mercy’ actually landed a takedown in the second round and not the Georgian. After 10 minutes of action, Dvalishvili successfully took Yan to the mat, scoring two takedowns in the third round.  

For a wrestling-based fighter like Merab Dvalishvili, who’s known for relentlessly taking down opponents, Yan’s approach definitely came as a surprise. ‘The Machine’ could land only 2 of his 29 takedown attempts in a 25-minute bout. On the other hand, Yan crashed the Georgian on the mat 5 times out of 9 attempts and dealt considerably more damage. 

It’s definitely refreshing that Dvalishvili acknowledged that Yan fought an amazing fight against him. But ‘The Machine’ admitted that he was wrong to trade punches with the Russian in an MMA Fighting interview in September 2026. 

Plus, Dvalishvili also revealed that he used a similar approach against Petr Yan as he did against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, which ended up backfiring.   

That said, the former bantamweight champion acknowledged his mistakes and credited his opponent for his beautiful game. He has taken lessons from his loss and is looking to bounce back in the comeback fight of their trilogy at the UFC 333 co-main event. 

Merab Dvalishvili vows to avenge his loss against Petr Yan at UFC 333 

In just a few days, Merab Dvalishvili will stand face to face with Petr Yan once again. He would finally get the chance to reclaim his lost glory and go 2-1 against the biggest challenge of his life. And after learning from his previous loss, Dvalishvili claims he’s made enough adjustments to beat Yan in the trilogy in Abu Dhabi.

“The past is the past. I don’t regret anything; whatever I do… I do, and I move on,” Dvalishvili told the National. “I had a lot of time to think about and I want my belt back. I want to avenge my loss. I know what mistakes I made [in the second fight], and I know how to beat him.

“His striking’s good, his takedown defence is good, and his cardio is good. He never gives up, but I believe I’ve been training super hard, and I’m very well prepared this time. And I will be much sharper, much better this time.”

It’s safe to say that we are going to see an improved Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan in their next bout. But the Russian showed exceptional takedown defense, and he also had a clear advantage in striking.

Dvalishvili, over the years, has drastically improved his ability to land strikes, but he’s not as dynamic as Yan, who mixes up his kickboxing.

As the trilogy approaches, the fans will finally witness who actually becomes the king of the bantamweights.