Merab Dvalishvili to make 4th title defense vs. Petr Yan at UFC 323

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will make his fourth title defense with a rematch against No. 2-ranked Petr Yan in the main event of UFC 323 in Las Vegas on Dec. 6, the promotion announced.

UFC CEO Dana White first announced the matchup last week.

The pair last fought in March 2023 at UFC Fight Night 221 in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili (21-4) outstruck Yan (19-5) 147-75 and took him down 11 times in a unanimous decision, winning every round on the judges' scorecards.

The Georgian native has continued to dominate since that matchup. He won the bantamweight title in September 2024 with a unanimous decision over Sean O'Malley and has defended his championship three times this year, including a rematch against O'Malley in June.

Dvalishvili has broken multiple records during his run of dominance, including an ongoing 13-fight winning streak, the longest in UFC bantamweight history. He also set the mark for the most career takedowns in UFC history with 117.

Yan is no slouch either. He's never been finished in his MMA career, and he has beaten notable fighters like Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee to earn a second shot against Dvalishvili.

Elsewhere on the card, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will square off with No. 1-ranked contender Joshua Van in the co-main event. Pantoja has the most wins and finishes in UFC flyweight history, while the 24-year-old Van is looking to become the first UFC champion born after the year 2000.

--Field Level Media