Song Yadong believes UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan built enough momentum after his title win to beat Merab Dvalishvili again.
After splitting their first two appearances, Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and former title holder Dvalishvili (21-2 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will complete their trilogy in the UFC 333 co-headliner Oct. 24 from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (Paramount+).
Dvalishvili dominated Yan in their first meeting in March 2023, but Yan avenged his loss by dethroning "The Machine" to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 323. Song (23-9-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) sees a repeat of the rematch happening.
"Both fighters are very good, but I think Petr has more advantage because he won the rematch, and he got some new tricks, new techniques," Song told MMA Junkie.
"I think he can handle this again, and Petr will win this fight."
Losses to Yan and former champ Sean O'Malley have set back Song's title hopes, but he's confident that recent changes will help him get over the hump when he faces Umar Nurmagomedov (20-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 286 main event (Paramount+) from Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in China.
"I lost some fights, but they were very close," Song said. "I was young. I needed more experience. This time I feel like mentally and physically ready. I have my new boxing coach. I have my nutritionist. I have my psychologist. So, the camp was perfect. I feel like this year I improved a lot."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Why bantamweight contender gives Petr Yan edge over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333
