Merab Dvalishvili Seeks Historic Milestone in UFC
Less than two weeks away from defending his bantamweight title at UFC 322, champion Merab Dvalishvili already has his next challenge in sight.
Dvalishvili (21-4) will seek to defend his championship for the fourth time this year, headlining the UFC 323 main event against Petr Yan (19-5) on December 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
If Dvalishvili is victorious, he will become the first champion in UFC history to defend his title four times in a single year.
“You have to respect Merab for wanting to break the record,” White commented. “I love this shit.”
In addition to the main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) will defend his title against the promising contender Joshua Van (15-2). Henry Cejudo (16-5), a former two-division champion, will also be part of the card, facing Payton Talbott (10-1).
This fight will be a rematch of their encounter in March 2023, where Dvalishvili defeated Yan in a five-round contest. Dvalishvili dominated Yan, outstriking him in total strikes (147-75) and winning all rounds according to the judges’ scorecards. In addition, he achieved 11 takedowns against Yan, who was previously champion.
Dvalishvili, originally from Georgia, is ranked number 3 in the pound-for-pound rankings worldwide.
