Russian mixed martial arts fighter Petr Yan defeated Georgia's Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to defend his bantamweight championship belt, the website infohub.kz reports.
Their matchup served as the co-main event of the show. Yan was defending the bantamweight title (up to 61.2 kg), while Dvalishvili entered the event as the division's No. 1 contender.
The bout went the full five rounds. The Georgian took the first two, and the Russian claimed the rest. Yan thus won by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 48:47 in his favor.
The 33-year-old Russian has now won five fights in a row. His overall mixed martial arts record stands at 21 wins and five losses.
Dvalishvili has now lost two straight. His previous defeat also came at the hands of Yan. The 35-year-old Georgian's record now stands at 21 wins and five losses.
It was the third head-to-head meeting between Dvalishvili and Yan. All of their previous bouts also ended in unanimous decisions. The Georgian won in 2023. Last December, the Russian took the rematch and seized the championship title from his opponent.