Less than 10 days after defending his title at UFC 322, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili already has his next challenge. Dvalishvili (21-4) will seek to defend his title for the fourth time this year in the main event of UFC 323, facing Petr Yan (19-5). The fight will take place on December 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to UFC CEO Dana White. If Dvalishvili achieves victory, he would become the first champion in UFC history to defend a championship four times in a single year.
In addition to the main event, the flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja (30-5), will defend his title against the promising Joshua Van (15-2). Henry Cejudo (16-5), a former champion in two weight classes, will also be present on the card, facing Payton Talbott (10-1). This fight will be a rematch of the five-round bout that took place in March 2023, when Dvalishvili was climbing the rankings to get the title. Dvalishvili dominated Yan in that matchup, outstriking him in total strikes (147-75) and winning every round according to the judges’ scorecards. Dvalishvili also managed to take down Yan, former champion, on 11 occasions. Dvalishvili, from Georgia, is ranked as the third best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.You have to respect Merab for wanting to break the record. I love this shit.
Dana White, CEO of UFC
