Less than ten days after defending his title at UFC 322, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili already has his next challenge on the horizon. Dvalishvili (21-4) will seek to defend his title for the fourth time this year, in a main event against Petr Yan (19-5) at UFC 323 on December 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to UFC CEO Dana White. If Dvalishvili achieves victory, he will become the first champion in UFC history to defend a championship four times in the same calendar year.
In addition to the main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) will defend his title against the promising contender Joshua Van (15-2). Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo (16-5) will also be present on the card, facing Payton Talbott (10-1).“You have to respect Merab for wanting to break the record,” White declared. “I love this shit.”
Dana White, CEO of UFC
This fight will be a rematch of the five-round bout that took place in March 2023, when Dvalishvili was climbing the ranks to contend for the title. In that match, Dvalishvili dominated Yan, outstriking him in total strikes by 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 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
