The Serra Longo Fight Team product relied on relentless pressure and the constant threat of the takedown to wear down Petr Yan and capture a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday night. Dvalishvili (16-4, 9-2 UFC) received a trio of 50-45 tallies from the cageside judges to secure his ninth straight victory in the Octagon.
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While Dvalishvili didn’t come close to landing all of his takedown attempts, the constant threat of his wrestling created openings for “The Machine” to succeed in other aspects of the bout. That was especially evident on the feet, as Dvalishvili attacked with punching combinations, standing elbows and kicks to various levels. Most notably, a calf kick from the Georgian seemed to compromise Yan’s left leg in the second stanza, and the Russian was often forced to switch …