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Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Picks – Dvalishvili To Grind Out UFC Fight Night Win
- Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili picks for Saturday, March 11
- UFC Fight Night is taking place at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Preview, picks & stats

- Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Picks
- Petr Yan Form
- Merab Dvalishvili Form
Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Picks
Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Picks
Merab Dvalishvili is backed to beat the former champion by decision.
Petr Yan has the edge in striking, but we expect Dvalishvili’s grappling to be the key factor here.
He is likely to smother Yan and take away that striking for five rounds to earn the judges’ decision.
- Merab Dvalishvili is on an 8-fight win streak
- 11 of Dvalishvili’s 15 career wins have come by decision
- Merab Dvalishvili averages 6.54 takedowns per 15 minutes
- Petr Yan has lost 3 of his last 4 fights
- Petr Yan was not stopped in any of his 4 losses (3 decision, 1 DQ)
Petr Yan Form
Petr Yan is a former UFC bantamweight champion with a professional record of 16-4 (7 KO/TKOs, 1 Sub).
Yan debuted in the UFC in June 2018 and quickly rose up the bantamweight ladder, winning seven straight fights.
His first notable win came in February 2019 when he beat John Dodson by unanimous decision, and in his next outing he got the nod from the judges again, this time beating Jimmie Rivera.
The 30-year-old Russian’s streak then continued with a third-round knockout win against the legendary Urijah Faber.
That earned Yan a shot at the vacant bantamweight title in July 2020, and he made the most of his opportunity by knocking out Jose Aldo in the final round.
Yan did not manage a successful defence though, losing the title to Aljamain Sterling due to an illegal knee strike in his first outing as champion.
He rebounded before the end of 2021, winning the interim title via decision against Cory Sandhagen, but the Russian fighter has not won since.
He dropped a split decision to Sterling in their rematch in April 2022, and then suffered another split decision loss when he took on Sean O’Malley last October.
Merab Dvalishvili Form
Merab Dvalishvili is on an eight-fight win streak that has improved his professional record to 15-4 (3 KOs, 1 Sub).
Dvalishvili did not start his UFC career in the best fashion, losing both his debut fight and his second outing.
He dropped a split decision to Frankie Saenz in December 2017 before being submitted by Ricky Simon in the third round the following April.
‘The Machine’ finally got his first win on the board when he beat Temon Ware by decision in September 2018, and quickly backed that up with a string of unanimous decision wins.
Dvalishvili beat Casey Kenney, Gustavo Lopez, John Dodson and Cody Stamann to surge up the bantamweight ladder.
The 32-year-old Georgian then recorded his first stoppage win inside the UFC Octagon, knocking out Marlon Moraes in the second round.
He extended his win streak to eight fights last August, but on this occasion he once again had to rely on the judges after a five round fight with the legendary Jose Aldo.
Verdict
Merab Dvalishvili is an appealing underdog heading into this fight, especially at this price.
He has the grappling skills that can turn this into an ugly, grinding fight and earn him the judges’ approval.
He has the grappling skills that can turn this into an ugly, grinding fight and earn him the judges’ approval.
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