Petr Yan Keeps Bantamweight Belt With Five-Round Win Over Dvalishvili

Petr Yan defended the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 333 on Saturday, beating Merab Dvalishvili over five rounds. All three judges scored it 48-47.

Dvalishvili came in with the plan he is known for and took Yan down several times in the first two rounds. In round one he secured a single-leg takedown after Yan had stuffed an earlier one, and he landed a couple of shots to the head before the horn. Yan scrambled up each time, and in round two he reversed one takedown, took Dvalishvili's back while standing and landed shots.

Yan's takedown defense was strong early, but it cost him some of his own offense. In the third round Dvalishvili kept shooting and Yan kept defending, though he did connect with a body kick that appeared to hurt the Georgian and send him circling away. Dvalishvili recovered and kept pushing the pace.

Yan takes over

The fourth round was where the fight changed. Dvalishvili shot for a takedown right away and Yan stopped it. Yan began to let his hands go, mixing heavy shots upstairs with punches to the body, and Dvalishvili's movement was less sharp than earlier in the fight. Yan landed a clean head kick, Dvalishvili answered with a body kick, and Yan fired back with a right hand. Late in the round he went to the body again, to the spot where he had hurt Dvalishvili before.

In the fifth, Yan opened by letting his hands go upstairs. Dvalishvili landed a clean right hand and Yan replied with a left hook. Yan kept digging to the body with kicks and added a jumping knee that connected. He also landed a combination that took more out of Dvalishvili, who kept shooting for takedowns without the explosiveness he had shown earlier.

With ten seconds left, Dvalishvili charged for a last exchange, and Yan met him with another shot to the body as the horn sounded.

Official result: Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision (48-47 x3).

Source: Cageside Press