Petr Yan and the Winners, Losers, and Results From UFC 323
The little men put on a big show in Las Vegas.
UFC 323 went off Saturday night with a five-bout main card headlined by title fights in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions.
Merab Dvalishvili was the last fighter introduced at T-Mobile Arena ahead of the fourth defense of his 135-pound crown since he took it from Sean O'Malley 15 months ago at The Sphere.
He met former champ Petr Yan, who held the belt in 2020 and 2021 and arrived on a three-fight win streak since he was beaten by Dvalishvili in the non-title main event of a Fight Night show in 2023.
B/R's combat team was in place to take in all the preliminary and main action from the 14-bout show and delivered a real-time list of the event's definitive winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
Winner: Rematch Reversal
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For the first time in forever, it was Dvalishvili feeling the pain.
His face was swollen and bleeding. His body was battered after taking a series of groan-inducing kicks to the liver. And the competitive gas tank of his opponent, Yan, hadn't been compromised to the point where the homestretch felt like a victory lap.
So instead of his fourth successful title defense of the calendar year, the popular Georgian left the cage on the losing end for the first time since 2018, and Yan took possession of the bantamweight title belt for the first time since he'd dropped it at UFC 259 in March 2021.
The official scores were 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47, with all three judges giving Yan the final three rounds—an almost complete reversal of their first fight in 2023, when Dvalishvili won all five rounds on all three scorecards after 11 takedowns, and 202 landed strikes.
This time, Dvalishvili had just two takedowns in 29 tries, while Yan had five in nine while landing 139 significant strikes to the now-ex-champ's 134.
"Yan had a fantastic game plan. Fantastic preparation," analyst Joe Rogan said. "That is going to be a huge (trilogy). Skill-wise, what Yan brought to the table was a huge factor. He was on fire tonight. He was a man with a mission."
The 32-year-old Russian had beaten Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee since that loss to get back to a No. 3 contender position behind previous Dvalishvili victims Umar Nurmagomedov and O'Malley.
"He was very game today. I want a rematch. I want to run it back," Dvalishvili said. "Today, I was trying to stay toe to toe with him, and he was a better fighter today."
Loser: Traumatic Transition
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It wasn't the type of finish that anyone—not challenger Joshua Van or streaking contender Tatsuro Taira—was hoping for.
But the 24-year-old Van became the UFC's flyweight champion under cringeworthy circumstances after just 26 seconds, when Alexandre Pantoja was unable to continue after sustaining an ugly injury to his left arm/elbow.
"I didn't know what happened," Van said. "He just stopped, and the ref was like 'something's wrong.'"
Indeed, Pantoja was done after throwing a right kick toward Van's head and bracing himself with his hands as he fell toward the canvas after his foe deflected the blow. Pantoja's left arm snapped sickeningly under his own body weight, and he immediately waved his right hand in surrender, indicating to both Van and referee Herb Dean he was unable to continue.
Pantoja chatted with Dana White as he exited the cage, and the UFC boss suggested they'd set him up with the best available doctors and get him back to competition as soon as able—presumably with an immediate title shot.
"He's one of the greatest of all time," Van said. "I didn't want the fight to go that way. Maybe the UFC will set something up. I'll fight whoever you all put in front of me."
Loser: Competitive Cutoff
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Brandon Moreno's instant reaction was "Really?"
The imminent 32-year-old (his birthday arrived at midnight ET, about 15 minutes after the fight's end) was in a precarious position and had taken a series of blows from Taira, but upon getting the wave-off signal from Mark Smith, he was in no mood to stop.
Still, Smith's word was decisive and resulted in a TKO defeat for Moreno—the first by finish in the Mexican's eventful 14-year career—at 2:24 of the second round.
Instantly, the call drew the ire of analyst Daniel Cormier, who contended that a fighter as well-known for resilience as Moreno deserved a larger competitive allowance.
"He took some damage," Cormier said, "but you give that guy a little more time."
Moreno had been in range of a quick victory in the opening round when he chased a submission by triangle choke, but Taira was able to stay out of imminent danger and quickly set the tone in the second round by taking down his eighth straight UFC opponent.
He worked to Moreno's back and had the ex-champ flattened out while he battered him from the left and right sides, prompting Smith to pull the plug even though Moreno was still defending the shots with his hands and had begun working his way back to his knees.
"It may not have changed," Cormier said, "but I would have liked to see him get a little more time."
Loser: Sentimental Sendoff
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The fans and the broadcast team were ready to give former Olympic champion and two-division UFC kingpin Henry Cejudo a glorious sendoff into retirement.
Problem was, Payton Talbott was in no mood to celebrate.
The 27-year-old strafed Cejudo with hard strikes on the feet and was every bit the veteran's equal when things went to the mat, punishing him across 15 minutes and leaving him swollen, bloodied, and battered on the way to a shutout decision victory.
Now 38, Cejudo acknowledged the end shortly after the final horn, kneeling in his corner and chatting with White through the fence, suggesting that White "take care of this kid. I love him, but he f--ked me up."
It was a fourth straight loss since what'll go down as Cejudo's last career victory, a second-round finish of Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in 2020. He dropped decisions to Aljamain Sterling, Dvalishvili and Yadong before encountering Talbott, who'd won four of five since arriving to the promotion in 2023.
"I'm young, and I'm only going to keep getting better," said Talbott, who trained with Cejudo early in his career. "The least I can do is learn from his lessons and pay it forward."
Loser: Continuing Combat
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He's got mettle. He's got toughness. He's got willingness for days.
But beyond those remnants of his championship past in the light heavyweight division, there don't seem to be many reasons to see Jan Blachowicz continue fighting.
The 42-year-old rallied well enough down the stretch of his main-card opener with Bogdan Guskov to salvage a majority draw, but given the pedestrian level on which his 11th-ranked opponent operates, it's hard to see a path beyond simply enduring.
Blachowicz got the nod from all three judges in the tedious first and third rounds, but the reality of where he stands at 205 pounds is better evidenced by a second round in which he was driven to the floor by a Guskov right hand and bloodied with hard elbows.
Two of the three cage-side judges gave Guskov 10-8 margins in the round to allow for overall 28-28 scores that offset the 29-28 nod given to Blachowicz by Chris Lee.
It stretched the former champ's winless streak to four fights (0-2-2) since he finished Aleksandar Rakic in 2022. He's 2-3-2 in seven fights since defeating Dominick Reyes to win the title at UFC 253 in 2020.
"If you did not come in with buckets of respect already for Jan Blachowicz," blow-by-blow man Jon Anik said, "look at what this man did just a couple months shy of birthday No. 43."
Winner: Instant Gratification
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Manuel Torres clearly does not relish a full night's work.
The popular Mexican export scored his 16th first-round finish in 17 career victories in Saturday's prelim finale, landing a hard left hook that ended the night of 13th-ranked lightweight contender Grant Dawson in just 2:25.
"It's always like that," Torres said. "As soon as I see that door open, I get right in."
Torres has gone past a single round just once in 20 fights, winning a three-round split decision over Enrique Gonzalez in the Beat Down MMA promotion in 2018. All three of his losses have come quickly, too: first-round submissions in 2018 and 2019, and a first-round KO to Ignacio Bahamondes in his lone UFC loss at UFC 306.
He was uncharacteristically deliberate against Dawson, who was frenetic and aggressive with long, looping shots in the early going.
But when the Florida-based 31-year-old missed badly with a right hand and left himself off balance, Torres stepped in and ultimately landed the left that dropped Dawson to the floor and left him defenseless until Herb Dean stepped in.
"He knows he has that kind of power," Rogan said, "but instead of using a reckless abandon style, he was patient."
Loser: Reticent Referee
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Sometimes, referees are commended for their patience.
This wasn't one of those times.
Veteran official Marc Goddard was on the receiving end of prolonged chatter from Cormier, suggesting the fight between Terrance McKinney and Chris Duncan be stopped in Duncan's favor long before it ultimately was at 2:30 of Round 2.
"(McKinney) knew he was done," Cormier said, "the ref just didn't help him get out of the fight."
Indeed, once Duncan survived an initial blitz and changed the narrative with a hard elbow from a fence-side tie-up, he landed dozens of strikes to a near-defenseless McKinney before switching to the anaconda choke that drew a tap and forced Goddard's hand.
"We knew he was gonna come out of the gate hard," Duncan said, "and I was like 'Leave me alone, leave me alone,' but he's an absolute animal. But you can't teach heart. People don't know what I'm capable of. I'm ready for the next big thing."
Winner: Emotional Rescue
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After showing ferocity and relentlessness for the better part of 15 minutes against flyweight rival Karine Silva, fifth-ranked contender Maycee Barber went all-in on gratitude.
The 27-year-old returned from a tumultuous 21-month layoff and was rewarded with a narrow decision over Silva to keep herself in the 125-pound title conversation.
"I'm not just happy, I'm blessed," Barber said. "It's been a rough journey to get here."
It was a seventh straight win and 10th in 12 UFC appearances for Barber, who'd been scheduled to return in June but was pulled out of a fight with fellow contender Erin Blanchfield just moments before their Fight Night main event in May.
She'd missed weight ahead of that fight and suffered an apparent seizure in the locker room, a combination that ultimately stretched her absence to Saturday's mid-card.
Silva scored takedowns in the first and third rounds but didn't register much damage compared to a second round in which Barber was aggressive and violent.
Two judges saw it 2-1 in rounds for Barber, and a third gave it to her 3-0, contrasting with the B/R card that gave Silva a 2-1 margin.
"Whether I won or lost I didn't even care," Barber said. "I just wanted to be here."
Winner: Winning Time
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The timing was controversial, perhaps, but ultimately irrelevant.
The horn had clearly sounded to end Round 2 when referee Jason Herzog stepped in to rescue stricken lightweight Nazim Sadykhov, who'd been battered to the canvas by a pair of hard elbows from Farés Ziam in their mid-card opener.
Sadykhov protested briefly as he tried to rise, but the awkward stumble he took as he stood both validated Herzog's decision and underscored Ziam's sixth straight win.
"(That was a) flawless display of mixed martial arts," analyst Joe Rogan said. "Absolutely outstanding."
Standing 6'1" and possessing a pterodactyl-like reach at 156 pounds, Ziam used his length to effectively tie Sadykhov up on the ground in the first round and worked well from distance in the second before landing the elbows in the decisive final seconds.
"(He is a) real, legitimate threat to the rest of this lightweight division," Anik said.
Loser: Extreme Disappointment
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Well, so much for the extremes.
The UFC veterans who arrived for Saturday's early prelim show with the most and the fewest octagonal victories—Edson Barboza (18) and Antonio Trocoli (0)—left T-Mobile Arena on the short end of early finishes.
Barboza, a 39-year-old Brazilian, sustained a bloody gash from a right elbow, was dropped by a follow-up right hand, and systemically battered by lightweight foe Jalin Turner until referee Herb Dean mercifully stepped in at 2:24 of the first round.
That came two fights after fellow Brazilian Trocoli, celebrating his 35th birthday, was taken down by Mansur Abdul-Malik and subsequently snatched upon rising into the standing guillotine that ended matters after just 69 seconds.
"I'm really, really appreciative of Trocoli for showing up. He's a good man," said Abdul-Malik, still unbeaten in his UFC run at 3-0-1. "I get to come in here, make money, do what I enjoy, and have fun. There's no weight on my shoulders."
Winner: Barroom Bedlam
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Iwo Baraniewski will never forget his UFC debut.
And there's an excellent chance many others won't either.
The Polish export made his curtain-raising performance memorable when he engaged four-fight veteran Ibo Aslan in a Hagler-Hearns-esque back and forth that had Rogan and Cormier frothing at the mouths within 90 seconds.
"I've never had more fun at a mixed martial arts fight," Cormier said. "It's the best time I've had."
Both Baraniewski and Aslan gave and received stagger-worthy strikes before the former, making just his seventh pro appearance, landed the right hand that prompted referee Mark Goddard to end the light heavyweight scrap at 1:29 of the first.
"This looked like a bar fight. A very skillful bar fight," Rogan said. "That was just absolute chaos."
Loser: Scaling Down
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Two fighters on the show's early prelims will go home with lighter wallets after arriving at Friday's weigh-in over their contracted numbers.
Featherweight Mairon Santos tipped in a pound-and-a-half over the non-title limit of 146 for the card's opener against Muhammad Naimov.
Veteran middleweight Brunno Ferreira was an even more egregious villain on the scale when he came in three pounds beyond the 186-pound limit for the early prelim finale against ex-title challenger Marvin Vettori.
Both Naimov and Vettori agreed to go through with the bouts at catchweights and will each receive 20 percent of their opponent's fight purse.
It'll presumably ease Naimov's pain a bit after he was finished by Santos in Round 3, and it'll have to have the same effect for Vettori, who'll presumably exit the rankings after he dropped a unanimous decision.
"I'm sorry for (the weight miss)," Santos said. "It was a miscalculation that won't happen again. I don't have pride for that happening."
Full Card Results
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Main Card
Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja by TKO (injury), 0:26, Round 1
Tatsuro Taira def. Brandon Moreno by TKO (punches), 2:24, Round 2
Payton Talbott def. Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jan Blachowicz drew with Bogdan Guskov by majority decision (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
Preliminary Card
Manuel Torres def. Grant Dawson by TKO (punch), 2:25, Round 1
Chris Duncan def. Terrance McKinney by submission (anaconda choke), 2:30, Round 1
Maycee Barber def. Karine Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Farés Ziam def. Nazim Sadykhov by TKO (elbows), 4:59, Round 2
Early Preliminary Card
Brunno Ferreira def. Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jalin Turner def. Edson Barboza by TKO (punches), 2:24, Round 1
Iwo Baraniewski def. Ibo Aslan by KO (punch), 1:29, Round 1
Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Antonio Trocoli by submission (standing guillotine), 1:09, Round 1
Mairon Santos def. Muhammad Naimov by TKO (punch), 0:21, Round 3
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