Petr Yan in Abu Dhabi: his four fights here before UFC 333
The bantamweight champion is 3-1 in Abu Dhabi, with two of those nights fought for UFC gold.
Petr Yan defends the bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili at Etihad Arena on Saturday 24 October, in a city where he has already fought four times. He is 3-1 in Abu Dhabi, and two of those fights were for UFC titles.
July 2020, UFC 251: in Abu Dhabi, Yan stopped Jose Aldo with punches in the fifth round to win the vacant bantamweight title. He lost the belt in his next fight, in March 2021 in Las Vegas, when he was disqualified for an illegal knee against Aljamain Sterling.
October 2021, UFC 267: back in Abu Dhabi, this time at Etihad Arena, Yan beat Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision to win the interim title. The bout was named Fight of the Night.
October 2022, UFC 280: Yan lost a split decision to Sean O'Malley at Etihad Arena, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28. Cageside Press reported that the decision drew boos from the crowd, and Sherdog later named it its Robbery of the Year.
July 2025: in the co-main event of a UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, Yan beat Marcus McGhee 29-28 on all three cards for his third straight win. Five months later he outpointed Dvalishvili at UFC 323 to become champion again, and he returns to Abu Dhabi with a 20-5 record.
UFC 333: Volkanovski vs EvloevSat 24 Oct · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: Wikipedia: Petr Yan, Wikipedia: UFC 267, Cageside Press: UFC 280, Cageside Press: Yan vs McGhee
