Merab vs Yan III: 58 takedown attempts, and what decided the fight

On 24 October at UFC 333, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Petr Yan defended his bantamweight title and beat Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision: 48–47 on all three cards. That ends their trilogy 2–1 to Yan. Merab’s record is now 21 wins and 6 losses. Here’s the fight through a grappler’s eyes.

How the fight went

Rounds one and two. Merab started the way he always does: walking forward and chaining takedown attempt after takedown attempt. He landed five takedowns in the two rounds, while Yan stopped 14 other attempts. Yan spent most of that time defending, with little offence of his own.

Round three. This is where the fight turned. Yan hurt Merab with a shot to the body and followed with a burst of punches. From then on the fight was mostly on the feet, where Yan’s boxing was the advantage.

Rounds four and five. Merab kept shooting until the end, but from round three onwards Yan stopped all 39 of his attempts.

58 attempts, 5 takedowns

Merab attempted 58 takedowns, a new UFC record that beat his own 49 from their first meeting in 2023. Five of them landed: roughly one in every twelve.

The numbers don’t tell the whole story. Merab’s style is built on every attempt costing the opponent energy: they have to defend, get up and rebuild their position. In the first fight, that worked. This time Yan looked stronger in the late rounds than at the start, as CBS also noted after their second fight in 2025.

What the fighters said

Merab took the loss with class. In his octagon interview he said he doesn’t like making excuses but knows he can do better, called Yan the better man, and congratulated him and his family.

Yan said he usually needs time to warm up into a fight and expected Merab to push forward and tire. He said the trilogy brought out the best in him.

Opinions on the decision were split: several fighters posted that they had Merab winning. All three judges scored it 48–47 for Yan.

What grapplers can take from it

• Volume works until the defence holds. Many attempts tire the opponent, but if they defend and get up fast, every failed attempt tires you too.
• Conditioning matters on both sides. Merab is famous for his cardio, but in this fight Yan kept more in the tank for the late rounds. When you stop moving, your technique means nothing.
• Change the approach when something stops working. When the same entry keeps failing, you need a new angle, a new setup or a different plan.
• In jiu-jitsu, a failed takedown has a price. If your head stays low in front of your opponent when you shoot, at a jiu-jitsu competition that’s a good chance for a guillotine.

More on Merab, including his wrestling background and style, is in his profile.

Result and stats: UFC.com, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Bleacher Report (checked 26 October 2026).