Merab Dvalishvili Breaks Silence After UFC 333 Loss to Yan

Merab Dvalishvili says he has no plans to step away from fighting after dropping a unanimous decision to Petr Yan in their trilogy bout at UFC 333.

Dvalishvili addressed his fans directly in an Instagram post following the loss, thanking his cornermen, his training partners in Las Vegas and New York, and the UFC before turning to his future. "I cannot wait to be back in that cage doing what I love to do," Dvalishvili wrote. "I am healthy and motivated and will be back soon! This Machine never breaks! See you all soon."

What Dvalishvili's Loss Means For The Bantamweight Division

Petr Yan's win closes the book on one of bantamweight's defining rivalries and leaves Dvalishvili searching for a new path back to the title. Yan took the belt from Dvalishvili at UFC 323 and then beat him again at UFC 333 to go 2-0 in the series, which makes an immediate fourth meeting hard to justify no matter how competitive the first three fights were. Before the two losses to Yan, Dvalishvili had run off wins over Cory Sandhagen, Sean O'Malley twice, and Umar Nurmagomedov during his championship reign, a stretch that still stands as one of the better bantamweight runs in recent memory.

That resume is why Dvalishvili remains relevant even in defeat. The UFC is unlikely to let a former champion with that kind of win list fall far down the pecking order, and his own comments point toward staying active rather than taking an extended break. He has also floated the idea of moving down to flyweight at some point, a subject that carries extra weight with teammate Aljamain Sterling currently holding bantamweight gold. For now, nothing suggests Dvalishvili is leaving 135 pounds immediately, but it is a storyline worth watching if the matchmaking at bantamweight dries up for him.

Betting Angle

Two straight losses to the same opponent will dent Dvalishvili's market value the next time he is booked, and sportsbooks will likely list him as a live underdog against any of the division's top five names rather than the heavy favorite he once was against the rest of the contender class. His gas tank and wrestling volume were never the issue against Yan, the adjustments Yan made standing were, so bettors should watch how Dvalishvili's team addresses that specific matchup problem before assuming it carries over against a different style of opponent. A step down to flyweight, if it happens, would reset his odds profile entirely and is the kind of move that could make him an attractive price against a smaller, faster weight class he has never competed in as a pro.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Merab Dvalishvili retire after UFC 333?

No, Merab Dvalishvili said in an Instagram post after UFC 333 that he plans to keep fighting and will return to the UFC cage soon.

What happened between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan at UFC 333?

Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 333 in their trilogy bout, giving Yan a 2-0 series lead after also beating him for the title at UFC 323.

Could Merab Dvalishvili move to flyweight?

Merab Dvalishvili has hinted at a possible future move down to UFC flyweight, a division where his teammate Aljamain Sterling currently holds the bantamweight title at 135 pounds, not flyweight, but the drop remains a mentioned possibility for Dvalishvili.