Merab Dvalishvili Won't Bite on Petr Yan's Trash Talk Before UFC 333 Trilogy

Merab Dvalishvili knows exactly what Petr Yan is doing, and he's decided it isn't worth his energy. The two settle their trilogy in the UFC 333 co-main event on Saturday, with Dvalishvili challenging for the bantamweight belt he lost to Yan at UFC 323 in December. The series stands even: Dvalishvili ran away with their first meeting in March 2023, Yan reversed it nearly three years later to become a two-time champion.

The quiet part is the story this week. At a pre-event press conference ahead of UFC 331, Yan was relentless — needling Dvalishvili, cutting him off, working the mic. Dvalishvili just sat there. No fireworks, no comeback. That restraint had people wondering if something was off, because this is a fighter who has never been shy about firing back at opponents, or fans, who disrespect him.

Dvalishvili's explanation is simple: he's done playing that game. He told MMA Fighting that he knows Yan well by now, that Yan has always been disrespectful and always talked trash, and that none of it lands anymore. He framed it as personal growth — he still catches internet heat, he said, even from his own Georgian audience over a political opinion he once shared, but he's stopped taking the bait.

Life's Too Short

Pressed on when the switch flipped, Dvalishvili pointed to past blow-ups he's learned from. He admitted he used to take online shots personally, especially when he felt he was in the right and the noise kept coming. His conclusion was blunt: he's going to do what he thinks is correct and let the result do the arguing. He said he'll answer Yan's questions in the fight, win, and watch Yan get humble afterward.

The context sharpens the stakes. Dvalishvili put the title on the line four times in 2025 before Yan ended his run, a streak that stretched to 14 fights. Yan, meanwhile, has reeled off four straight wins since that lopsided 2023 defeat, rebuilding himself all the way back to champion. This is Dvalishvili's first outing since the belt changed hands.

Ask him if this is the biggest fight of his career and Dvalishvili doesn't hedge. He said the next one is always the biggest, but this one genuinely is — a trilogy against the most dangerous man in the division, one-on-one, with the gold on the table and fans who've been waiting for the tiebreaker. The talking stops Saturday.