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Yan beats Dvalishvili at UFC 333

Sports · Heat 2.3 / 10 · 2 shows · 1h 38m airtime

Petr Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in the UFC 333 co-main event in Abu Dhabi on October 25, closing out their trilogy. Yan said his coach prepared a five-page game plan for the fight, up from one page last time, and that his plan was to let Dvalishvili tire himself out before pulling away over the last two rounds. The discussion has moved to what comes next, and the two sides do not agree: Yan named Song Yadong in his post-fight interview, while Sean O'Malley says his next fight is against Yan and has called him the greatest bantamweight of all time. O'Malley also says a Dvalishvili win would have meant facing Payton Talbott instead. No date or…

How 2 podcasts covered it

  1. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-19 (2:38:34 to 2:56:40)
    Interviews Yan on the five-page game plan
    Pre-fight interview with Yan ahead of the UFC 333 co-main. He confirms the surgery and recovery that kept him out ten months, says his coach built a five-page game plan this time, and declines to pick between O'Malley and Song Yadong.
    New angle: Yan says his coach prepared a five-page game plan for the trilogy, up from one page last time.
  2. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-23 (30:44 to 42:26)
    Previews the trilogy on the first two fights
    Long preview of the Yan-Dvalishvili trilogy, built on the first two fights: Merab's volume in the first, Yan's defensive answers and counters in the second. Picks Yan on tools, but stays inside the pre-fight read.
  3. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-23 (42:28 to 50:13)
    Weighs Longo's coaching line against the trilogy stat
    Long discussion of the Yan-Dvalishvili trilogy through two lenses: Ray Longo's line that Merab is easy to coach because he always does the same thing, and a debate between the 'winner of the second wins the third' stat and Eugene Bareman's view that the loser of the last fight holds the strategic edge. Stays inside the fight and its build-up.
  4. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-24 (4:34 to 8:11)
    Argues the win sets up Yan vs. O'Malley 2
    Recaps Yan's trilogy win over Dvalishvili as a fight-of-the-year contender and argues the result sets up Yan vs. O'Malley 2, weighing Song Yadong as the alternative. Reaction and matchmaking opinion, staying inside the result already on the record.
  5. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-25 (5:29 to 8:22)
    Breaks down Yan's five-round body work
    Breaks down the UFC 333 co-main: Yan's body work and fight IQ wore Dvalishvili down over five rounds, and Yan told Cormier in the octagon his plan was to let Dvalishvili gas himself out.
    New angle: Yan said in the octagon his plan was to let Dvalishvili gas himself out.
  6. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-26 (43:02 to 48:34)
    Recaps Yan's comeback from two rounds down
    Recaps Yan's comeback from two rounds down on all three cards, the four-losses-in-five stretch that preceded it, and the no-wrap detail from White's photo. Praise and career retelling, all inside the result already on the record.
  7. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-26 (48:34 to 51:04)
    Debates whether Yan-Merab 3 is Fight of the Year
    Debates whether Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 is the Fight of the Year, weighing it against Hokit vs. Blaydes and Topuria vs. Gaethje and noting Topology's fan rankings have it seventh. Opinion and ranking talk, no new development in the fight itself.
  8. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-26 (51:19 to 56:12)
    Makes the case for O'Malley vs Yan
    Makes the case that O'Malley is the only fight for Yan, noting Yan named Song Yadong but not O'Malley in his post-fight interview, and plays O'Malley's reaction to the snub. Frames Merab's path back as depending on an O'Malley win.
    New angle: Yan named Song Yadong, not O'Malley, in his post-fight interview; O'Malley reacted to the snub.
  9. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-26 (2:19:19 to 2:47:17)
    Walks through Yan's comeback round by round
    O'Malley's head coach walks through Yan's comeback against Dvalishvili round by round and makes the case that O'Malley vs. Yan is the obvious next fight. Mostly retells the co-main and the post-fight snub, with a detour into Cormier's commentary.
  10. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-27 (1:50:31 to 1:52:48)
    Calls Yan the greatest bantamweight ever
    O'Malley's reaction to Yan-Dvalishvili: he calls it a fight for greatest bantamweight ever and says Yan now holds that title, while noting Dvalishvili attempted 58 takedowns. He repeats that he is fighting for the title next.
    New angle: O'Malley says Petr Yan is now the greatest bantamweight of all time.
  11. The Ariel Helwani Show, 2026-10-27 (1:52:48 to 1:55:02)
    Retells the UFC 333 co-main from his couch
    O'Malley retells the UFC 333 co-main from his couch: had Yan lost he would have fought Peyton Talbott, and with Yan winning he treats the title shot as settled even though the UFC has not told him so.
  12. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-28 (4:21 to 5:38)
    Lays out the bantamweight queue and names Yan
    O'Malley, in conversation with Cormier, lays out the bantamweight queue: Merab earned the rematch, so O'Malley took Song Yadong, and he says his next fight is Yan. It puts a name on Yan's next opponent after the trilogy win.
    New angle: Sean O'Malley says his next fight is against Petr Yan.
  13. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-28 (5:38 to 7:06)
    Argues Yan fight is bantamweight's biggest
    O'Malley talks up the Yan fight as the biggest bantamweight fight ever, bigger than his fight with Cheeto, and argues Yan's respect inside MMA will carry the promotion even without mainstream fame. Reaction and prediction, no new development.
  14. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-28 (7:06 to 10:31)
    Breaks down the co-main round by round
    O'Malley breaks down the Yan-Dvalishvili co-main: Merab's pace and takedowns took the first two rounds, then Yan hurt him in the third and the fight swung. Notes Yan had surgery in January. A fighter's-eye retelling of what the card already records.
  15. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-28 (10:31 to 11:32)
    Compares the old Yan to the champion
    O'Malley compares the Yan he beat four years ago to the current champion, saying both have improved and Yan is now in his prime. It is a preview of the O'Malley-Yan fight already on the record, with no new development.
  16. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-28 (11:27 to 12:32)
    Recaps rooting for Yan and the fallout
    O'Malley tells Cormier he was rooting for Yan on Saturday because a Yan win sets up their title fight, and says a Merab win would have meant fighting Payton Talbott next. A first-hand account of the fallout from the UFC 333 co-main.
    New angle: O'Malley says a Merab win would have meant fighting Payton Talbott next.
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