Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili has addressed fans following his loss to Petr Yan at UFC 333.

Taking place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, UFC 333 featured two huge title bouts at the top of the bill and closed out with a second-round finish from Alexander Volkanovski to successfully defend his featherweight belt against the formerly-undefeated Movsar Evloev.

While Evloev represented a new challenger for Volkanovski after the Australian previously defended the featherweight belt five times during his first title reign, the co-main event for UFC 333 saw Dvalishvili and Yan meet for a third time with the promotion’s bantamweight belt on the line.

Petr Yan Fell to Merab Dvalishvili During Georgian's Run to UFC Gold

The first meeting between the two UFC stars took place in 2023, when the pair headlined a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas and Dvalishvili got his hand raised via unanimous decision.

That victory extended what was already a massive winning run for "The Machine”, who also defeated future UFC Hall of Famer Henry Cejudo his next time out before claiming the promotion’s bantamweight belt from Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.

Dvalishvili went on to successfully defend his belt three times before meeting Yan in a rematch at UFC 323, where “No Mercy” avenged his previous loss to the Georgian and also claimed the UFC bantamweight title for the second time.

Merab Dvalishvili Addresses Fans After Second Petr Yan Loss at UFC 333

Fans had to wait nearly a year to see the two men meet in a trilogy bout, and it initially looked
like the extra rest was exactly what Dvalishvili needed given that his high-paced style allowed him to quite clearly win the opening two rounds at UFC 333.

Unfazed by his rival’s quick start, Yan stormed back to win the final three rounds and successfully defend the bantamweight belt for the first time after his previous title reign was cut short by controversial loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259.

A few days after falling short to Yan, Dvalishvili took to Instagram and let fans know that he’s excited to get back into the Octagon sooner rather than later.

What's Next for Petr Yan & Merab Dvalishvili After Concluding UFC Trilogy?

Bantamweight is considered by many fans to be the most talented division in all of MMA, and there’s no shortage of intriguing matchups for both Yan and Dvalishvili in the aftermath of UFC 333.

“No Mercy” specifically mentioned Song Yadong as a potential next opponent after defending his title in Abu Dhabi, and a rematch with former titleholder O’Malley is also on the table given that the American handed Yan a contentious split decision loss at UFC 280.

Dvalishvili bested a number of the UFC’s top bantamweights already during his own title reign, but he’s also yet to face Song and could also potentially face top contender Payton Talbott following the latter fighter’s quick victory over Deiveson Figueiredo.