Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili will fight for the third time at UFC 333 on Saturday, joining an exclusive club. The UFC has seen only 19 trilogy matchups in its history, and this rubber match ranks among the rarest occurrences in the sport.
The two bantamweights have split their first two fights, making Saturday's bout a genuine tiebreaker. Dvalishvili took their first meeting, then Yan claimed the second. The stakes remain unclear on whether this triple-header carries championship implications, but trilogies themselves draw hardcore fans specifically because both fighters have proven they belong in the same ring.
Trilogies matter because they're uncommon. Most rivalries end after one or two fights. Fighters move on, injuries happen, contracts shift. Getting three matchups between the same two competitors requires sustained relevance from both men, consistent victory, and mutual willingness to run it back. ESPN's cataloging of all 19 UFC trilogies underscores how rare Yan versus Dvalishvili 3 actually is.
This is the fight that settles the score.