Dvalishvili vs Yan: Title Rematch at UFC 323 on December 6th

Merab Dvalishvili Seeks to Consolidate His Dominance in the UFC

Less than ten days after his successful title defense at UFC 322, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili already has a new challenge on the horizon. Dvalishvili (21-4) is preparing to defend his title for the fourth time this year. He will face Petr Yan (19-5) in the main event of UFC 323, scheduled for December 6th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to UFC CEO Dana White. If he achieves victory, Dvalishvili would become the first champion in UFC history to defend his championship four times in the same calendar year.

“You have to respect Merab for wanting to break the record,” White commented. “I love this shit.”

Dana White

In addition to the main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) will defend his title against the promising Joshua Van (15-2). Henry Cejudo (16-5), a former two-division champion, will also be present on the card, facing Payton Talbott (10-1). This fight will be a rematch of the five-round fight that took place in March 2023, when Dvalishvili was climbing the rankings towards the title. In that match, Dvalishvili dominated Yan, outstriking him in total strikes (147-75) and winning every round according to the judges’ scorecards. Dvalishvili also landed 11 takedowns on Yan, who is a former champion. Dvalishvili, originally from Georgia, is ranked number 3 in the pound-for-pound rankings worldwide.