Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili will conclude their trilogy in the UFC 333 co-main event.
After splitting results over their first two meetings, the rubber match between reigning bantamweight champion Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and former ***** leholder Dvalishvili (21-2 MMA, 14-3 UFC) is official for the Oct. 24 fight card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (Paramount+).
The bout was announced during Saturday's UFC 330 broadcast.
Yan, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, reunited with the belt in December when he outworked Dvalishvili to a unanimous decision at UFC 323. It was a redemptive performance from the Russian, who suffered a lopsided loss on the scorecards in the first matchup in March 2023.
The 32-year-old first became champion in July 2020, but lost it in his first defense when he landed an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling that led to him being disqualified. Yan's subsequent years included a three-fight losing skid, but he's rebounded with four in a row to become a two-time champ.
#first #fight #petr #arena
After splitting results over their first two meetings, the rubber match between reigning bantamweight champion Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and former ***** leholder Dvalishvili (21-2 MMA, 14-3 UFC) is official for the Oct. 24 fight card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (Paramount+).
The bout was announced during Saturday's UFC 330 broadcast.
Yan, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, reunited with the belt in December when he outworked Dvalishvili to a unanimous decision at UFC 323. It was a redemptive performance from the Russian, who suffered a lopsided loss on the scorecards in the first matchup in March 2023.
The 32-year-old first became champion in July 2020, but lost it in his first defense when he landed an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling that led to him being disqualified. Yan's subsequent years included a three-fight losing skid, but he's rebounded with four in a row to become a two-time champ.
#first #fight #petr #arena
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