TLDR
- Merab Dvalishvili will face Petr Yan in a trilogy fight at UFC 333 after losing his title to Yan at UFC 323
- Dvalishvili plans to chase a knockout finish despite his coach suggesting a more conservative approach after the title loss
- The former champion says he wants to “break his face and try to knock him out” in their upcoming rematch
- If he wins, Dvalishvili has identified Song Yadong as his preferred first title defense opponent
- Song Yadong recently knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai to earn title contention status
Sources: middleeasy.com | sports.yahoo.com | lowkickmma.com
Merab Dvalishvili is preparing for his third fight against Petr Yan at UFC 333 later this month, and the former champion has made his intentions clear. Despite losing his bantamweight title to Yan at UFC 323, Dvalishvili plans to stick with an aggressive game plan.
The Georgian fighter told Stake that he wants to keep things simple in their upcoming co-main event bout. “I want to break his face and try to knock him out,” Dvalishvili said. “Last time it didn’t work out, but I think this time it will.”
😬 Merab Dvalishvili admits he was nervous before when he fought with Petr Yan the first—and says it was the first truly personal fight of his career.
“[Peter Yan] is from Russia, I’m from Georgia. I took a lot of responsibility as a Georgian. Russia has occupied my country for… pic.twitter.com/ksf3pZXuGY
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 13, 2026
Dvalishvili’s aggressive approach during his title reign proved costly in his last meeting with Yan. His coach had previously admitted they wanted “The Machine” to chase finishes and knockouts during his title defenses. That strategy backfired when Yan reclaimed the belt at UFC 323.
Despite the setback, the 35-year-old fighter appears unwilling to abandon his finishing mentality. He also mentioned having new tools prepared for Yan that his opponent hasn’t seen before.
Looking Past Yan to Future Opponents
Dvalishvili has already identified his next target if he can reclaim the title from Yan. He told Stake that Song Yadong would be his preferred first title defense if he wins at UFC 333.
“Yes, it’s easy to say it now, but god willing, when I win against Petr, I will fight Song Yadong next,” Dvalishvili explained. “We’ve never fought each other, and he’s the next best.”
Song Yadong recently put himself back in title contention with an impressive knockout victory. The Chinese fighter knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai in August, extending his winning streak to two fights.
The victory caught the attention of fighters across the bantamweight division. Dvalishvili acknowledged the danger Song presents as an opponent.
Respect for Song’s Knockout Power
“I think we all know he has knockout power,” Dvalishvili said about the fighter known as “Kung Fu Kid.” “It’ll be a great fight, a risky and challenging one, but I’m ready for it.”
The trilogy fight between Dvalishvili and Yan carries extra weight for both fighters. Yan currently holds the bantamweight championship after winning it back from Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Their first meeting also went in Yan’s favor before Dvalishvili captured the title in a subsequent bout.
UFC 333 is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi later this month. UFC President Dana White confirmed the event will proceed as planned with no contingency plans being considered.
Dvalishvili’s willingness to chase a knockout despite his previous loss shows his commitment to an entertaining fighting style. Whether this approach will work better the second time around against Yan remains to be seen when the two meet in the octagon.
The bantamweight division has heated up in recent months with Song Yadong’s impressive knockout and other contenders making their case. For now, all eyes turn to the Yan-Dvalishvili trilogy fight that will determine who holds the belt and who gets the next title shot.
