5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili
This weekend saw the UFC back in Las Vegas – albeit not at the Apex – for another Fight Night event, and it featured some major bouts up and down the card.
UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili saw a number of fighters pick up major wins that could well move them up the ladder, potentially even into title contention.
So with tremendous showings and excellent finishes on offer, who came away with the most important victories last night?
Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili.
#5. Davey Grant – defeated Raphael Assuncao in a UFC bantamweight bout
It feels like Davey Grant has flown under the radar for nearly the entirety of his decade-long UFC career, but perhaps it’s time for fans to pay more attention to the UK-based bantamweight.
After all, ‘Dangerous’ has won five of his last seven bouts, with the only two losses coming to a pair of highly ranked fighters in Marlon Vera and Adrian Yanez. More to the point, he took both men the distance.
Last night saw Grant pick up his best finish in some time, as he left veteran Raphael Assuncao unconscious after catching him in a wild third-round inverted triangle.
Was it the best performance of the UK fighter’s career? Arguably not, as Assuncao probably edged the first two rounds of the fight. It’s also arguable that a fence grab allowed Grant to escape a bad position earlier in the final round.
However, there was no arguing with the finish, and the fact that Assuncao retired after the bout gave it a little more gloss than usual.
Given that the win also earned ‘Dangerous’ an extra $50k, it’s hard not to consider him one of the night’s big winners. He should hopefully earn a big fight next after this, too.
#4. Jonathan Martinez – defeated Said Nurmagomedov in a UFC bantamweight bout
The biggest upset at last night’s UFC event saw Jonathan Martinez edge out highly touted bantamweight contender Said Nurmagomedov after three rounds of top-quality action.
Whether ‘The Dragon’ truly deserved the nod from the judges is a little debatable. After all, many observers scored the fight for Nurmagomedov, giving him the first and third rounds.
However, the fact that Martinez was able to escape some bad positions and take the fight to the Dagestani was still highly impressive. More importantly, he also came close to a finish with a tight-looking third round armbar.
Could ‘The Dragon’ now climb into title contention? He’s riding a five-fight win streak and just defeated the No.14-ranked bantamweight in the promotion, meaning he should theoretically crack the top 15 next week.
However, he’ll probably need at least one more big win first, preferably via finish. Despite that, this was a huge and unexpected victory for him, making him definitely one of last night’s big winners.
#3. Alexander Volkov – defeated Alexander Romanov in a UFC heavyweight bout
While he was coming off a win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in his last fight, it’s arguable that Alexander Volkov had his back to the wall last night.
‘Drago’ wouldn’t have been cut with a loss to Alexander Romanov, but it almost certainly would’ve meant the end of his run as a viable contender at heavyweight.
However, the Russian put on a tremendous showing, dispatching ‘King Kong’ with relative ease in the first round. More importantly, he did it by dismantling the Moldovan on the ground, an area he would’ve hoped to dominate.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this win – and Volkov’s last one against Rozenstruik – is that it clearly demonstrated an increase in aggression from the Russian.
Previously, ‘Drago’ had been a fighter who was seemingly content to do just enough to win, as he did against Greg Hardy in 2019, for instance.
That approach seems to have changed now. While being less safety-first might result in a couple more losses, it’ll also make him more exciting to watch, and therefore more likely to retain his spot on the UFC roster.
Overall, then, it was a great night for ‘Drago’.
#2. Nikita Krylov – defeated Ryan Spann in a UFC catchweight bout
One fighter who definitely won big last night was light heavyweight contender Nikita Krylov. In a hastily rebooked 215-pound catchweight bout, he defeated Ryan Spann in the first round of a clash that was full of wild action.
Both men fought aggressively, but when the fight hit the mat, it was clear that ‘The Miner’ had the edge. After Spann was able to escape a guillotine attempt and scramble into top position, Krylov wasted no time and quickly wrapped him up in a triangle choke for the tap.
Would the win have meant a little more had it come in the headliner of a UFC Fight Night event as it was initially planned to have been? Sure, but in the bigger picture, that won’t matter too much.
Krylov is now on a three-fight winning streak, and given that he’s already ranked at No.6 in the division, he should be matched with one of the fighters above him next.
When you consider that he’s still only 31 years old, ‘The Miner’ could still be an outside bet to climb into title contention, especially in a division filled with older fighters like light heavyweight.
#1. Merab Dvalishvili – defeated Petr Yan in a UFC bantamweight bout
There’s absolutely no doubt that the biggest winner at last night’s UFC Fight Night event was Merab Dvalishvili. Not only did he extend his winning streak to nine bouts, but he also defeated a former bantamweight champion in Petr Yan.
Like Yan’s last two defeats, to current titleholder Aljamain Sterling and top contender Sean O’Malley, this bout went the distance. Unlike those two fights, though, there was no doubt as to which fighter deserved to have his hand raised.
‘The Machine’ pushed a ludicrous pace throughout the 25-minute long fight, never allowing ‘No Mercy’ to breathe for a second. Whether he was swarming him with strikes – with his low kicks in particular being effective – or spamming takedown attempts, Dvalishvili did not slow down.
In the end, Yan looked utterly battered and broken, his right eye swollen badly. It was by far the worst beating he’d ever suffered in his MMA career to date.
Where does Dvalishvili go from here? He may well be the best 135lber on the planet right now, but given that his friend and teammate Sterling holds the bantamweight title, a shot at it doesn’t seem likely.
Thankfully, there are plenty of other top fighters for him to face at 135 pounds, even if on the basis of last night’s fight, few would stand a chance against him.
Overall, then, this was a true coming-out-party for a fighter who has to be seen as one of the best in the promotion to not hold a title right now.