Petr Yan Beats Merab Dvalishvili By UD to Win Bantamweight Title at UFC 323

Petr Yan brought an end to Merab Dvalishvili's dominant 2025 and became the UFC bantamweight champion with a unanimous decision win over The Machine at UFC 323 from Las Vegas.

Yan made things interesting at the outset by taking the fight to the champion. He landed a few flush punches that put the champion on the defensive in the first round. 

Yan continued his surprising performance by scoring a takedown on Dvalishvili in the second round. It led to a fun grappling exchange, but Dvalishvili ultimately got back up to the feet. Still, it was a competitive round that could have gone either way. 

The third round was highlighted by the two exchanging body slams. 

Yan also landed a cracking body kick in the frame and continued to put together a strong performance. 

The championship rounds have typically been where Dvalishvili is able to flip the script and take over fights. However, Yan was able to keep up the pressure and land with even more regularity. 

The final round was just a confirmation that Yan was the better fighter in the main event. He battered Dvalishvili with more body shots and even scored a late takedown to add even more grappling success.

Yan reclaims the title that he won in back in July 2020. The 32-year-old looked like he was completely out of contention after a 1-4 streak that ended with a loss to Dvalishvili in 2023.

Since then, Yan has returned to his championship form. Wins over Yadong Song, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee put him back on track and set the stage for him to win the strap back.

The most impressive aspect of the victory might that it broke one of the most dominant streaks in the division's history. The bantamweight division has been notoriously hard to rule and Dvalishvili had tied the record with three consecutive title defense.

A win would have made him the first UFC fighter to successfully defend his belt four times in a calendar year.

Instead, we have a new champion and the possibility of an epic trilogy fight. At least, Yan is open to the idea.

"You know, looking ahead, I certainly think Merab deserves any rematch he wants," Yan told media ahead of the fight. "Which I think the UFC would support if I win. I think it would be a cool trilogy."

Given Dvalishvili's dominance in the division and Yan's history as a former champion, a third fight is now the biggest bout that could be made in the division.