Petr Yan successfully defended his bantamweight title tonight at UFC 333 after another relentless five round war with Merab Dvalishvili.

Round One

The bantamweight title fight is underway at UFC 333!

Good low kick from Dvalishvili to start. Good right hand over the top from the former champ.

Now Dvalishvili goes for his first takedown of the night, but Yan is able to prevent that.

Dvalishvili crashes the distance again and gets to a body lock, but Yan does a good job of staying patient and then breaking away.

Yan in on a single-leg now and Yan shows impressive balance to stop that one while half-way onto the canvas and is now back to striking range.

Brief exchange of punches. Dvalishvili staying busy with some strikes. Yan pressing forward now. He stomps to the lower leg of the challenger. Dvalishvili tries to reach for a takedown, but quickly gives up on it.

Good straight left for Yan. Dvalishvili punches to the body, grabs hold of Yan and drags him to the mat, but Yan is immediately back up and turns into him in the clinch. Yan opts to move away.

Final minute of the round and Dvalishvili lands a convincing takedown, though Yan pops straight back to his feet. Dvalishvili still has hold of him though and is working to bring him down again. Knee to the back of the leg from Merab. Now a few punches as Yan is facing the cage. More punches land as the round ends.

Round Two

Merab goes for the low kick immediately but Yan avoids it. Dvalishvili staying busy with strike attempts and then grazes the target with a head kick.

Nice straight left for Yan. Good right for Merab and a left behind it. Yan overcommits on a punch that misses and Merab immediately goes for the takedown. Again Yan just in time manages to stop getting fully taken down.

Yan back up but Dvalishvili goes for another takedown. Yan reverses though to end on top. Now it’s Merab who gets back up quickly. Dvalishvili works yet again for the takedown in the center of the Octagon but can’t fully get him down.

They briefly separate, but Merab clinches up against the cage before hoisting him into the air to complete a takedown. Yan pops back up and gets to striking distance.

Glancing right for Merab. Now he gets around to the back clinch again, but Yan fights him off.

Right hand for Dvalishvili. Brief combo from Yan. Now a knee stomp from the champ. Swings and misses from Merab. He grabs on a single-leg, but Yan shakes that off quickly.

Inside leg kick for Merab. He gets a single-leg and completes it. Yan back up against the cage. Merab with a knee to the body before they separate.

Punch for Yan and then tries to sneak in a head kick on the other side, but it doesn’t connect. Inside leg kicks for Merab.

Round Three

Solid calf kick for Yan. Low kick from Merab. Punch for Yan. Leg kick from Dvalishvili is checked.

Yan misses a power punch and that enables Merab to get the body lock. Yan gets out of that, but Merab presses him into the cage. Knee from Dvalishvili on the way out.

Yan stuffs a shot and lands a light counter. He brushes off another clinch attempt. Merab with a punch but doesn’t get the takedown he was setting up from that.

Yan stops another takedown attempt quickly. left hand for Merab. Merab works a punch and low kick.

Yan stalking forward but needs to start finding some big punches. Low kick for Merab. He fends off another single-leg.

Good punch for Yan down the pipe, but Merab fires back. Right hand for Yan. They exchange a punch apiece. Solid calf kick for Yan.

Hard uppercut from Yan put Dvalishvili on his heels for a moment, but he rushes into a takedown attempt afterwards and seems ok.

Merab tries a head kick that’s blocked and then there’s a good body kick counter from Yan that leaves Merab grimacing! He’s able to fight through it though. Yan fends off a takedown. Merab moving side to side now to buy some time, but is grinning and Yan can’t full capitalize on that big moment.

Round Four

Yan drives in for an immediate single-leg but Merab fends it off. Merab tries for one of his own, but Yan stops it. Merab punches to the body.

Yan drags his leg out of another takedown attempt. Yan with a nice left hook. Right hand for Dvalishvili. Merab with another failed takedown attempt, and again.

Jab for Yan. He misses on a power right hand but does land a lighter left. Head kick attempt from Dvalishvili.

Jab from Merab. Now an overhand partially gets through. Big left-right for Yan. Yan rips to the body and head. Another head kick attempt from Dvalishvili is blocked.

Yan brushes off another takedown and lands a punch. Yan with a left and a clean straight right.

Merab punches his way into a body lock, but Yan fights him off yet again. Jab for Yan. Low kick for Merab. Another hard body shot for Yan.

Right hand from Dvalishvili. Yan whistles a head kick over the top of Merab’s head.

Yan again brushes away a takedown attempt and lands a left hand. Jab for Yan. He lands again.

Yan steps aside like a matador to a bull as Merab was lunging forward with an overhand.

Glancing punch from Yan. Body kick for Merab. Right hand from Yan. Body punch for Merab.

Body kick for Dvalishvili now. Then a leg kick. Knee attempt and a right hand from Yan. The champ with a punch and a body kick at the end of the round. Yan’s really battled his way back into this fight and leaves all to fight for in the final five minutes.

Round Five

Right hand from Merab immediately. Right and a left from yan. Head kick attempt from Merab. Dvalishvili throwing strikes without connecting and Yan lands a left on the counter.

Yan goes in on a takedown attempt against the cage, but Merab fends it off. Punch for Yan. Miss from Merab.

Low kick for Yan. Punch from Merab. Single-leg attempt from Merab and Yan gets his leg free.

Yan steers away from another couple of takedown attempts. Body punch and a couple to the head from Yan. Merab reaches for a takedown but that one was never happening.

leg kick for Merab. A couple of punches from Yan. He lands a left hand. Merab in on another takedown that Yan fights off.

Half the round remaining. Yan misses with a knee as Merab was going for a takedown attempt. He lands a low kick.

Jab for Yan. Body kick from Merab and a punch from Yan. One-two for Merab. Low kick for Yan.

Jumping knee from Yan seemed to at least partially land, but Merab takes it. They trade strikes and Merab is on his heels for a split-second.

Body kick for Yan while avoiding a punch. Grazing punches on both sides. Knee in close from Merab. leg kick for Dvalishvili. Good left hook for Yan.

Yan ducks a punch. He lands a good kick to the body. Now a punch. Side kick to the knee from Yan.

Two jabs and a straight from Yan. Both men trying to throw final strikes. Jumping kick to the body from Yan and Merab felt that but grins regardless. We’re going to the scorecards!

Decision

Another fight fought at an insane pace then, and it was Merab whose early intensity and endless takedown attempts got the better of the first two rounds., However, from the third round onwards it was Yan who was fully able to lock in his takedown defense, while landing the better, more damaging blows. He was able to keep that shift in momentum going until the final bell after five hard-fought rounds and is rewarded with a unanimous decision victory(48-47 x3) to successfully defend his bantamweight title!

That was an impressive comeback from Yan, particularly when you consider he had serious back surgery back in January.