Petr Yan appreciates the moment he's in, and anticipating the response from Merab Dvalishvili is part of it.
At UFC 333, Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will collide for the third time. They co-headline Saturday's event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (Paramount+) for the bantamweight title. The lifetime series sits at one win apiece. Yan got the latest laugh in December, but will it be the last one?
"All of it is important: the whole ending the trilogy, closing the chapter, turning the page on it," Yan told MMA Junkie through a Russian-language interpreter Tuesday. "Now that we've got the conversation of being the GOAT. These are the conversations that not me, but others are starting to put my name into. All of that is important.
At the moment, the most important goal is to defend our belt. It doesn't matter who is in front of us. The point is to get this victory in the name of the belt."
Yan, 33, is holding his game plan cards close to his chest. But he indicated that fans should expect some slight differences in his approach.
As for his prediction of what Dvalishvili might do, he said he expects the fast-paced Georgian to return to his wrestling roots, something he has relied less heavily on since making a title run in 2024.
"I think this time around, he's going to try to be more of a wrestler and try to wrestle," Yan said.
Sitting atop the throne at the peak of the bantamweight mountain, Yan sees several contenders with momentum – but none really excite him.
He's already beaten Sean O'Malley and Song Yadong, as well as Cory Sandhagen. There's also Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista. So Yan is impartial when it comes to fights beyond Saturday's showing.
"There's actually many fighters that are deserving," Yan said. "There are a lot of guys who are doing great. I fought with a lot of them already. I fought with a few guys at the top. Whoever is the next person. Whoever the company decides, I'm ready to fight."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Petr Yan predicts what Merab Dvalishvili will do differently at UFC 333
