Skip to main content

Yan vs. Dvalishvili Odds, Picks, Predictions: Petr Yan the Heavy Favorite for Saturday's Main Event

Kyle Smith

Last Updated: March 11, 2023 11:24 AM EST • 2 min 19 sec read.

Petr Yan prepares for a bantamweight fight against Urijah Faber during UFC 245 and we look ahead to the UFC Vegas 71 main event with our top odds and Yan vs. Dvalishvili pick.
Petr Yan prepares for a bantamweight fight against Urijah Faber during UFC 245. Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images via AFP.

Saturday's UFC Fight Night card pits a pair of top-five bantamweights when former champion Petr Yan squares off with Merab Dvalishvili. Here are our UFC picks based on the odds from our best sportsbooks.

Although UFC gold no longer occupies his waist, there’s an argument to be made that Yan is still the best 135-pounder on the planet. Embroiled in a two-fight losing streak, “No Mercy” dropped a pair of controversial split decisions to Sean O’Malley and current kingpin Aljamain Sterling, and will likely need a couple more quality victories before he’s tossed back into the title mix.

Conversely, Dvalishvili is riding high on an eight-fight winning streak, with his latest triumph coming at the expense of Jose Aldo in what turned out to be the featherweight’s swansong. A statement victory over Yan would likely vault “The Machine” into the bantamweight title picture.

With that in mind, here are our best UFC bets for Yan vs. Dvalishvili at UFC Vegas 71 (odds via DraftKings; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Yan vs. Dvalishvili pick

Yan (-245 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

$1,000 First Bet on Caesars

Terms and conditions apply

Claim $1,000
Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook betting site. 21+. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly

Quite simply, Yan is the better fighter and the one to target in your UFC best bets for Saturday's Fight Night card. Dvalishvili’s path to victory involves dragging Yan to the mat and grinding him down into fine dust. Don’t get me wrong, the streaking Georgian is quite adept at yanking his opponents into deep waters with smothering top control, but I don’t think he’ll be able to do that for five rounds against Yan.

Yan is a fine defensive wrestler (90% takedown defense), and he’ll use that to stay upright while unleashing his superior striking to piece Dvalishvili up on the feet. The Russian lands strikes at a higher volume (5.31 significant strikes landed per minute compared to Dvalishvili’s 4.21), with more accuracy (53% to 40%), and I expect him to outwork Dvalishvili over 25 minutes en route to a decision victory.

Sure, there’s a possibility Dvalishvili relentlessly clinches and hunts for takedowns until he completely exhausts Yan in the later rounds, but the former champion is no stranger to five-rounders, and he’ll likely have enough juice to stay ahead on the scorecards.

Yan vs. Dvalishvili best odds

DraftKings (-245)

DraftKings FanDuel BetMGM Caesars PointsBet
Petr Yan-245-255-263 -265-260
Merab Dvalishvili+205+210 +210 +215 +210

There isn’t much difference in odds from sportsbook to sportsbook. If you’re looking to back Yan, you’ll definitely want to head to DraftKings, at which you can grab him at -245.

Those craving an upset can snag Dvashvili as high as +215 via Caesars.

There’s definitely some value in backing the Russian via decision/technical decision (+115 at Caesars). Yan has gone to a decision in three straight bouts, while Dvalishvili has gone to the judge’s scorecards in 14 of his 19 career trips to the cage.

Editor's note: Hey Massachusetts! Welcome to legal online sports betting. Check out the best sites for Massachusetts sports betting and the best Massachusetts sportsbook promos! 21+ and present in MA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER  

Yan vs. Dvalishvili fight info

Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023, 6 p.m. ET (main card)
TV: ESPN +, TSN
Location: The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV

Yan-Dvalishvili pick made 03/09/2023 at 4:00 p.m. ET

Here are our best sportsbooks:

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Related pages

Written By:
Kyle Smith
A sportswriter for more than a decade, Kyle Smith was once voted “World’s 78th Greatest Lover” by ‘Relatively Attractive People Magazine’.* After covering nearly every sport under the sun for theScore, Smith settled in as head MMA writer where he helped shape the company’s coverage and establish its combat sports identity. Since then, he’s dipped his toes (cannonballed) into the world of betting, where he specializes in the UFC and NHL. Constantly chasing that gigantic Parlay Dragon, Smith was devastated when a Leon Edwards head kick completely obliterated a recent five-leg parlay. You can read his rantings and ravings on Twitter @Heldrificus. *Not a real publication.