UFC 333 Official Scorecard: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili

We summarize the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work:

• UFC 333 Official Scorecard: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili (MMA Weekly)
• UFC 333 Highlights: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili (MMA Weekly)
• Petr Yan knew how to 'break' Merab Dvalishvili in UFC 333 trilogy (Sherdog)
• UFC 333 Highlights: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC 333 results: Petr Yan thwarts Merab Dvalishvili in trilogy with masterful performance to retain title (MMA Fighting)
• UFC 333 Highlights: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev (MMA Weekly)
• UFC 333 Highlights: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev full fight video highlights (MMA Fighting)
• [UFC333] Volkanovski, who adapted to Efremov's grappling, lands a right in the 2nd round to decide the match (MMAPLANET (JP))
• Alexander Volkanovski says he was sick at UFC 333: 'Too easy' otherwise (Sherdog)
• Movsar Evloev breaks his silence after disappointing loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333 (Bloody Elbow)
• Movsar Evloev Issues Statement After UFC 333 TKO Loss (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Latest UFC odds: Justin Gaethje opens as betting favorite to smash Alex Volkanovski... but not by much (MMA Mania)
• Yan surprised by one of Dvalishvilis takedowns (r/MMA)
• Dana White blasts Islam Makhachev's inactivity after UFC title delay (Sherdog)
• Dana White Accuses Islam Makhachev of Holding Up Welterweight Division After UFC 336 Snub (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• White tells Makhachev 'you can't hold up' division, books interim title bout (ESPN MMA)
• Dana White says Islam Makhachev didn't give them a reason for not fighting in January "Islam fights like once a year. He was slated for January, and then said 'I don't want to fight until after Ramadan.' (r/MMA)
• Carlos Prates Breaks Silence on Islam Makhachev as Major UFC 336 News Emerges (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Dana White says he never meant to hurt Farid Basharat's reputation (Sherdog)
• Dana White explains why Shakur Stevenson got release UFC fighters seek (Sherdog)
• Dana White Says He Offered Shakur Stevenson His Zuffa Boxing Release (MiddleEasy)
• Dana White clarifies key detail as he breaks his silence on Shakur Stevenson’s release (Bloody Elbow)
• Dana White Praises Merab Dvalishvili After UFC 333 (Yahoo Sports MMA)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 129 for October 25th, 2026. Today's show is brought to you by Dealophant, from the team behind Open Scoring MMA. More on them in a minute. DUKE: Petr Yan just solved a puzzle nobody else in the bantamweight division has solved.
NORA: Twice in this trilogy Merab Dvalishvili pushed the pace and pushed the pace, and this time Yan had an answer for every single bit of it.
DUKE: Early on it looked like Merab again, right? Early success, the usual chaos.
NORA: First two rounds, yeah, Dvalishvili had moments.
DUKE: And then Yan just flips a switch.
NORA: He takes over with sharper striking and, this is the number that matters, unreal takedown defense. Dvalishvili's entire career is built on volume wrestling and Yan shut the door on it.
DUKE: That's the whole fight right there.
NORA: Yan said he knew exactly how to quote, break, end quote Dvalishvili, picking his shots and making him pay for every entry.
DUKE: So Petr Yan retains the belt, settling the trilogy score.
NORA: And it wasn't close by the end. The scorecard backs that up.
DUKE: Huge for Yan's legacy at one thirty five, he's now beaten Merab in a fight people thought Merab had finally figured out.
NORA: It's a statement line for Yan going forward, he's not just hanging onto the strap anymore, he's dictating. Alexander Volkanovski retained the featherweight title, and it did not take long.
DUKE: TKO, round two, four fifty four.
NORA: Movsar Evloev came in twenty and oh, unbeaten in twenty one pro fights, and Alexander Volkanovski adapted to his grappling and then just landed a right that ended it.
DUKE: It was Movsar Evloev's first loss as a pro.
NORA: First one ever, and it comes against the best featherweight on the planet, so there's no shame in it, but it's still a massive scalp off his record. And the odds already moved. Justin Gaethje opened as the betting favorite for a fight against Volkanovski next, though not by much.
DUKE: Thirty eight years old and he's still fighting like this.
NORA: That's the part that should worry the division honestly. Volkanovski said after the fight he was sick going in, and that without that he thinks it's, quote, too easy, end quote, for him.
DUKE: That's a wild thing to say after a title defense.
NORA: It is, but given how it ended, round two TKO, it's hard to argue with him.
DUKE: Movsar Evloev, to his credit, handled the loss with real class.
NORA: He told Bloody Elbow, quote, Alhamdulilah for everything. Today wasn't my day. Everything is written by Allah, and I accept whatever he has planned for me. Congratulations to Volk. He was the better man today. Thank you to the UFC for giving me the opportunity to fight for the title, and all my fans, end quote.
DUKE: Classy. Doesn't take anything away from how good he still is at twenty and one.
NORA: No, and Movsar Evloev will be right back in the featherweight mix. This was his one shot at the title so far, not the end of his run. Not much drama here, more a reaction beat. Petr Yan himself admitted he was surprised by one of Merab Dvalishvili's takedown attempts during the fight.
DUKE: Even Petr Yan, who shut Merab Dvalishvili down all night, got caught off guard once.
Quick break for our sponsor. Dealophant shows the real price per unit on everyday Amazon buys, so you stop overpaying for the big box. It's free at dealophant dot com, and we may earn a commission if you buy. Now, back to the show. NORA: That tells you how relentless Merab Dvalishvili still is, even in a loss.
DUKE: And the Reddit community's all over this one. The live discussion thread for UFC 333 is buzzing about both the Yan performance and the Volkanovski finish.
NORA: Fans clearly think this was one of the better cards of the year. Dana White says Islam Makhachev was originally lined up to defend the welterweight title in January, and now wants to wait until after Ramadan next year.
DUKE: That's a long time for a champion to sit on a belt.
NORA: White didn't hold back, telling him flatly he can't hold up the division, and as a result they've now booked an interim title fight. And Prates has already responded to the Makhachev news, he didn't hold back either once the interim title fight broke.
DUKE: According to Dana White, Islam Makhachev gave no real reason for passing on January, just said he didn't want to fight until after Ramadan.
NORA: When your champion fights once a year and then pushes it further, the promotion has to protect the division somehow.
DUKE: Hence the interim belt.
NORA: Exactly, and it puts real pressure on Makhachev to either come back fast or risk watching someone else run away with his weight class.
DUKE: Dana White also walked back some other comments, saying he never meant to hurt Farid Basharat's reputation with his earlier remarks about fighters leaving the promotion.
NORA: Basharat's deal wasn't renewed, and White's clarifying it wasn't a personal shot at him specifically.
DUKE: And on the boxing side, White confirmed he offered Shakur Stevenson his release from Zuffa Boxing.
NORA: That ends that partnership before Stevenson ever even competed under the banner.
DUKE: Dana White didn't get into what fights were on the table, just confirmed the release happened.
NORA: Losing a pound for pound boxing name like that right after a big UFC card isn't a great look, but Dana White's framing it as a clean break. Dana White had nothing but praise for Merab Dvalishvili after the Petr Yan fight, pointing to the fact the two long time rivals went the full twenty five minutes in an absolute back and forth.
DUKE: Even in defeat, Merab Dvalishvili's stock barely moves. People know what they're getting from him every single time out.
NORA: He's still must see television at one thirty five, win or lose.
DUKE: Let's look ahead. Six days from now, UFC Fight Night: Moicano versus Nolan, Renato Moicano taking on Tom Nolan. The promotion has not yet announced a co-main event for the card. The market has this as a coin flip with a slight lean. After that, on November seventh, Sean Brady meets Gabriel Bonfim. The promotion has not yet announced a co-main event for the card.
NORA: That Brady Bonfim fight is a serious welterweight gatekeeper clash, big implications either way.
DUKE: And don't forget what's looming beyond that, UFC 334 on November fourteenth with Ciryl Gane facing Josh Hokit. The promotion has not yet announced a co-main event for the card.
NORA: That's a massive one, we'll get into it properly as it gets closer.
One more thing before we go. Volkanovski says he was sick and still finished Evloev in round two. Is that scary for the division, or just a great excuse waiting to happen? And while you're here, two quick ones. Our free Fight Tracker is at tracker dot open scoring m m a dot com, with every upcoming UFC and PFL card, live odds, and where to watch, all in one place. And follow us on YouTube, just search Open Scoring MMA, for breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you won't get here on the feed. That's it for today's Open Scoring MMA. Keep your hands up, and we'll see you next time.