Merab Dvalishvili defeated Petr Yan via unanimous decision in their high-stakes bantamweight clash. Yan faced Dvalishvili in a grudge match at UFC Vegas 71. Dvalishvili dominated the former champion from bell to bell to get his hand raised at the end of the night.

Merab Dvalishvili came into the fight with a perfect five out of five in his last five outings. In his last bout, he defeated UFC legend, Jose Aldo. The 32-year-old Georgian came in riding an 8-fight win streak with wins over the likes of Aldo and Marlon Moraes.

Former champion Petr Yan came in on a two-fight skid. Despite convincing performances, “No Mercy” lost close decisions to Sean O’Malley and champion Aljamain Sterling in his last two bouts. With another DQ loss to Sterling before that, Yan had lost three out of his last five. A lot was at stake for the Russian fighter as he looked to redeem himself with an emphatic performance and reenter the title picture as soon as possible.

This clash between the #2 vs. #3 ranked fighters in the bantamweight division would address the future of the division, and fans expressed their delight and surprise at the result.

Fans react to Yan vs. Dvalishvili at UFC Vegas 71

Yan and Dvalishvili went off at a high pace from the very first bell. However, the Georgian was the more successful one with his relentless pressure and constant takedown attempts. Despite being the favorite, Yan could not handle “The Machine’s” pace. The 30-year-old did not have a firm response to the Georgian despite fending off many of the takedowns.

Coming in as the underdog, Dvalishvili put on a title-shot-worthy performance, dominating Yan from bell to bell. His 9th consecutive win was a far cry from his previous one. He also set a UFC record for takedown attempts after shooting 48 times. His efforts earned him the nod from all three judges with a lopsided 50-45 decision on all cards.

Fans on Twitter also had a barrage of reactions to that dominant performance from Dvalishvili.

In the post-fight interview, Dvalishvili emphasized that he would not fight teammate Sterling for the title. However, if Sterling decided to move up a weight class, the Georgian would pursue the title.

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What are your thoughts on Yan vs. Dvalishvili? What do you think is next for either fighter? Let us know in the comments.