Merab Dvalishvili Seeks Historic Milestone in UFC
Less than ten days away from defending his bantamweight title at UFC 322, champion Merab Dvalishvili already has his next fight scheduled. Dvalishvili (21-4) will seek to defend his belt for the fourth time this year in the main event of UFC 323, facing 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 the same calendar year.In addition to the main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) will defend his title against rising 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). This fight will be a rematch of a five-round fight that took place in March 2023, when Dvalishvili was climbing the ranks to get the title. Dvalishvili dominated Yan in that fight, outstriking him in total strikes by 147-75 and winning all rounds according to the judges’ scorecards. Dvalishvili also took down Yan, former champion, on 11 occasions. Dvalishvili, from Georgia, is ranked number 3 in the pound-for-pound rankings worldwide.You have to respect Merab for wanting to break the record. I love this.
Dana White
