After two controversial split-decision losses, Petr Yan (16-4) is expected to finally win. Oddsmakers are giving -200 on the Russian fighter winning the main event of UFC Fight Night 221. However, we don’t think his opponent should be underestimated.
Nicknamed The Machine, Merab Dvalishvili (15-4) is famous as someone who never quits. Maybe he can take Saturday’s headliner to the distance and win the fight by decision?
Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Petr Yan | -260 |
| Merab Dvalishvili | +196 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Paradise, Nevada
- Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023
- Time: ~10:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Petr Yan’s Road to Title Begins on Saturday
Yan is a former UFC Bantamweight champion who lost the title to Aljamain Sterling in March 2021 by DQ. He got disqualified for an illegal knee kick, which many believed wasn’t too hard.
He wanted to get his revenge some seven months later, but Aljo pulled out of the fight just five days before the event. Instead of him, Yan fought Cory Sandhagen and won by unanimous decision.
Then, in his first fight of 2022, Yan got to fight Sterling again. Unfortunately for him, he lost by split decision. It was a controversial decision, although not as controversial as the one in Yan’s most recent fight.
Last October, Yan fought Sean O’Malley. After a slow start, Yan went on to dominate the fight. Everyone thought he was going to win – including 25 of the 26 media representatives – but two of the three judges scored O’Malley to win.
As a result, Yan has dropped to the No. 2 position in the UFC Bantamweight Rankings (below O’Malley). But he’s not far from getting back in the title conversation. If he beats Dvalishvili on Saturday, his next fight will also certainly be either against O’Malley or Sterling.
Merab Dvalishvili Looking for His 9th Straight UFC Win
The Georgian fighter is 15-5 overall with nine straight wins in the UFC. What’s interesting is that 11 of his victories happened by decision. The reason why this is surprising is that Dvalishvili is an excellent grappler/wrestler with a background in Combat Sambo.
He’s also great striking-wise, something which he proved in the fight against Marlon Moraes which he won by technical knockout.
Still, Dvalishvili’s biggest advantage over his opponents is his athleticism. He’s not nicknamed The Machine by chance. This guy’s got a real engine in him that can keep him hitting the opponents (and getting hit) until the end.
What’s got to worry him, however, is that the fight with Yan on Saturday is going to be the first time he’s fighting a five-round bout.
Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Prediction
You can be certain that both fighters are taking this fight extremely seriously. There’s no room for mistake, which is why they might start it slow, examining each other in the first couple of rounds, before finally going at each other later on.
In such cases, it’s the fighter with better stamina that usually wins over the judges’ affection. So, who’s got better stamina? Well, it’s gotta be Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili.
Pick: Merab Dvalishvili to win by decision