Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan 3: The Rivalry at 1–1

The Merab Dvalishvili–Petr Yan rivalry is now tied at one win each after two very different fights. Dvalishvili overwhelmed Yan with pace and wrestling in 2023, while Yan adjusted and reclaimed the bantamweight title in their 2025 rematch. With a third fight expected in 2026 and Yan already promising Dvalishvili the next shot, the trilogy will likely decide who can impose their style and make the smarter adjustments.

Everyone wants the belt.

That’s the goal when you step into the cage. You aim to win fights, climb the rankings, and get the strap. It’s a whole process that requires dedication and a not-insignificant amount of resources. You spend hours upon hours over years of training, grinding and polishing your skills to become a worthy contender, that’s why athletes trust premium gear like Starpro Combat to support their journey alongside numerous other fighters with the same goal.

And then you win the belt and everything changes. Everyone’s eyes are on you. Every contender studies your every move, and every opponent prepares specifically for you.

That’s what happened to former UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Merab had a massive 2025 run, defending the UFC bantamweight title four times in a single year. Unfortunately, fate had other things in store. Just before the year went out, Petr Yan ended his reign, making the right adjustments over five rounds to claim the belt by unanimous decision 

“My next fight is set and done” — Petr Yan confirms Merab is guaranteed to be his first title defense in 2026

The new UFC Bantamweight Champ has made it clear that no one else gets another shot before Merab gets a chance to take his seat back. The UFC has already promised the former champ a rematch, and Yan is keen to see that trilogy fight come to fruition.

“My next fight is set and done,” Yan said in a ring-side interview at the IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in Dubai in December 2025. “The UFC guaranteed Merab the rematch. As soon as he’s ready and fully recovered, it’s going to happen either this spring or summer.”

With a third fight now looking likely for spring or summer of 2026, the Dvalisvili-Yan rivalry has become one of the most thrilling matchups in the bantamweight division. Before they write the third chapter of their book, it’s worth looking at how this all started and why the third meeting is one the world is watching out for.

How It Started: March 2023

Forty-nine. 

That’s how many times Merab attempted to take Yan down at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Dvalishvili in March 2023.

Apparently, it has become the record for the most attempted takedowns in a single bout in the UFC.

He also landed 202 of 401 strikes compared to Yan’s 87 of 155.

On paper, it looked like an absolute shutdown.

And if you ask Merab, that fight wasn’t entirely professional for him.

"I said before. It was personal for me," Dvalishvili said. "I tried to keep it professional. My team was telling me that I was taking this fight different. Thank God, I did professional. He called me a zero. Who's the zero now?"

Yan had no time to reset with Merab’s relentless assault. 

Yan is known for building reads and finding rhythm as fights go on. Merab never allowed that rhythm to settle. He mixed his wrestling entries with boxing combinations, kept Yan backing up, and controlled the tempo from start to finish. Such relentless pace demands durable equipment — the kind offered by Starpro Combat

That win changed the conversation around Merab. He had just broken down one of the most technical and composed fighters in the division over five rounds. At that point, it felt like Merab had the stylistic answer to Petr Yan.

The Rematch: December 2025

The situation was entirely different by their second meeting at UFC 323 in December 2025. Merab was the champion, looking to defend his belt for the fourth time in the same year. 

But Yan and his team haven’t been twiddling their thumbs in the past two years. They’ve been working, watching, assessing Merab’s fights with an analytic eye to create a fool-proof game plan.

Yan has learned from his past mistakes. From the opening round, he was calmer under the wrestling entries. He focused on defending cleanly, landing when Merab came in, and slowing the pace where he could. The takedown attempts were still there, but they weren’t stacking up the same way. Yan made Merab work harder for every entry and punished him more on the breaks.

Over five rounds, that added up. Merab kept pushing forward, but the control wasn’t as one-sided as it had been in 2023. Yan landed the cleaner shots, and defended the wrestling well enough to earn a unanimous decision win, ending Merab’s title run and handing him his first loss since 2018.

Why This Matchup Works

What’s so fascinating about this matchup is how their fighting styles are worlds apart. Merab fights at a near-inhuman pace, in constant movement as he attempts endless takedowns that don’t always land, but gets the opponent scrambling to keep up. 

On the other hand, Yan is all about the tactical game. He’s built on control, reading patterns, timing counters, building a game plan from fight stats. He’s the type to wait for the right moment to strike, taking a good while to just gauge his opponent before locking in and going on the offensive.

In 2023, Merab’s pressure overwhelmed Yan before he could build those reads. In 2025, Yan adjusted. He defended more efficiently and punished entries just enough to shift rounds his way. 

Ultimately, it can get difficult to predict how fights would turn out. It’s all about who can get their edge in and force the other to fight at their speed. 

FAQs

Why is Dvalishvili-Yan 3 such a big deal?

Dvalishvili vs Yan 3 is a big deal because they’ve both already beaten each other, and each fight looked completely different. Merab broke Yan with nonstop pace in the first one. Yan adjusted, slowed things down, and took the belt in the second. Seeing how their styles clash again and who adapts better this time is what makes it so interesting.

What makes their styles such a strong matchup?

It’s pretty even right now. Merab has the pace and wrestling volume that can drown opponents if he gets going. Yan has the composure and takedown defense to slow that pace and land cleaner shots. It really comes down to who sets the tempo first and who sticks to their game plan longer.

Could this trilogy turn into a long-term rivalry in the division?

There’s a very good chance. They’re evenly matched, both in their prime, and their styles force each other to adjust every time. If the third fight is competitive or controversial, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them cross paths again. In a division like bantamweight, rivalries like this don’t fade easily.

Conclusion

With the rivalry now tied at one win each, each man has already proven he can solve the other once. The real question now is who can do it again with better adjustments and fewer mistakes. When they meet again, it will be about proving whose approach holds up when both fighters know exactly what’s coming.