Merab Dvalishvili Enters UFC 333 Trilogy With Unhealed Broken Nose

Merab Dvalishvili will fight Petr Yan in their bantamweight trilogy bout at UFC 333 this Saturday while still nursing a broken nose he chose not to get surgically repaired, according to his longtime coach Ray Longo.

Longo revealed the injury on a recent episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast, saying Dvalishvili suffered the break during training in Las Vegas earlier this year and opted to skip surgery ahead of the fight. Dvalishvili has been medically cleared to compete this weekend in Abu Dhabi, but Longo made clear the nose is a live concern once Yan starts throwing punches.

"He's going to get hit in that nose, and that nose looks like it's going to bleed," Longo said. "He chose not to have it fixed before the fight, and that's just... optically, if it's a close fight and he's bleeding all over the place, who the hell knows?"

Why The Nose Injury Matters For UFC 333

Longo's bigger worry isn't the blood, it's whether the nose affects Dvalishvili's gas tank over 25 minutes. Dvalishvili's entire game plan against Petr Yan runs through relentless pressure, high pace and constant forward movement, the same formula that made him a pound-for-pound name before Yan solved him on the scorecards at UFC 323 last December. Breathing efficiently matters enormously for a wrestler who tries to drown opponents in volume across five rounds. Longo specifically flagged that question rather than the cosmetic damage, saying the real issue is "can he do what he wants to do for 25 minutes."

There's also a judging dimension here. Trilogy fights that go the distance can come down to split perception, and a bloodied, swollen face sometimes sways scorecards even when the underlying output is close. If Dvalishvili is pouring blood in the championship rounds, that visual could work against him with judges in a fight expected to be tight.

Betting Angle

Dvalishvili already came up short on the cards once against Petr Yan, and news of an unrepaired broken nose gives bettors another reason for caution on the rematch rather than confidence. This isn't the kind of injury that typically changes a fighter's output in the first two rounds, but if swelling or breathing becomes an issue late, it plays directly into Yan's hands in a fight that may again be decided by crisp output and that ability to close rounds strong. Fans leaning Dvalishvili for the trilogy should treat this as a real variable, especially on live, in-fight markets once announcers start flagging a bloody nose. It doesn't flip the pick on its own, but it's the kind of detail sharp bettors build into live betting plans rather than ignore.

Longo, for his part, still likes his fighter's chances. "I hope everyone is on the same page out there, and I think he gets the job done," he said.

Frequently Asked Questions

What injury is Merab Dvalishvili fighting through at UFC 333?

Merab Dvalishvili is entering UFC 333 with a broken nose he suffered in training earlier this year and chose not to have surgically repaired, according to his coach Ray Longo.

Who is Merab Dvalishvili fighting at UFC 333?

Merab Dvalishvili is fighting bantamweight champion Petr Yan in a trilogy bout at UFC 333, after Yan beat him by unanimous decision at UFC 323 in December.

Was Merab Dvalishvili medically cleared to fight at UFC 333?

Yes, Merab Dvalishvili was medically cleared to compete at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi despite the unrepaired broken nose.