Yan kept his
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight championship in their trilogy match at
UFC 333 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The champion said the two exchanged respects after the night’s fight-winning encounter before briefly discussing politics.
Petr Yan discusses his post-fight exchange with Merab Dvalishvili following their UFC 333 Trilogy match
Dvalishvili took an early lead before Yan cruised to a unanimous decision win over the final three rounds. All three judges scored the fight 48-47 for the champion.
Before the fight, Yan said that their contrasting personalities prevent them from becoming friends. Regardless, they shook hands afterward. Yan declined to elaborate on their political discussion, though he hopes microphones near the Octagon captured the exchange and that the audio will eventually become public.
“We shook hands, thanked each other, congratulated each other on a great fight,” Yan said at the post-fight press conference. “And then some political issues were discussed that will remain there. But I’m sure you’ll hear it; there were microphones everywhere. It’s going to come out at some point. But I’d rather keep it between us for now until it’s released.”
