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

Merab Dvalishvili Seeks Historic Milestone in UFC

Less than ten days away from defending his bantamweight title at UFC 322, Merab Dvalishvili already has his next challenge in sight. Dvalishvili (21-4) will seek to defend his championship for the fourth time this year. He will face Petr Yan (19-5) in the main event of UFC 323, which 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 will become the first champion in UFC history to defend a championship four times in the same calendar year.

“You have to respect Merab for wanting to break the record,” White declared. “I love this s***.”

Dana White, CEO of UFC

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 on the card, facing Payton Talbott (10-1). This fight will be a rematch of their encounter in March 2023, when Dvalishvili was climbing the rankings. On that occasion, Dvalishvili dominated Yan, outstriking him in total strikes by 147-75 and winning every round according to the judges’ scorecards. Dvalishvili also landed 11 takedowns against Yan, who is a former champion. Dvalishvili, from Georgia, is ranked number 3 in the pound-for-pound rankings worldwide.