UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 – Can all-conquering champ continue his reign of dominance?

After UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden, the final event of the UFC’s pay-per-view era on ESPN in the United States will see a championship double-header from Las Vegas. 

Reigning bantamweight world champion Merab Dvalishvili puts his title on the line against former foe, and former champion, Petr Yan. While at flyweight, Alexandre Pantoja looks to continue his title reign at 125 pounds when he faces Joshua Van.

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Tale of the tape: Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan 2

Merab Dvalishvili: Can Georgian star maintain his iron grip on the bantamweight title?

The fighting pride of Georgia, Merab Dvalishvili has gone from longtime contender to dominant world champion, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The 34-year-old is riding a seven-fight win streak, and has won four consecutive championship bouts as he has risen to become arguably the most dominant champion in the UFC.

After claiming victories over former UFC champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo, Dvalishvili finally captured championship gold when he dethroned Sean O’Malley at UFC 308 in September 2024.

He was the underdog in his first title defence against Umar Nurmagomedov, but handed the Russian contender his first career loss with a superb display at UFC 311 in January.

Since then, he’s submitted O’Malley in a title rematch at UFC 316 in June, then followed up with a dominant decision win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 in October. Now Dvalishvili is set to make the walk for his fourth title defence of 2025 as the super-active champion looks to continue his dominant reign with victory in his rematch with Yan this weekend.

Petr Yan: Will it be second time lucky for the former world champion?

One of the most talented bantamweight fighters to step into the UFC’s Octagon, Yan previously captured the vacant undisputed bantamweight title in 2020 with a fifth-round TKO of former featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 251.

However his reign lasted just one fight, as he was disqualified in his first title defence against Aljamain Sterling. Yan bounced back to capture the interim belt against Sandhagen, but then lost to Sterling again in a unification rematch at UFC 273. 

Two more losses followed, as Yan was edged out by O’Malley, then by Dvalishvili. But since then he’s rediscovered his form, with a hat-trick of unanimous decision victories over Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee.

Now Yan is back at his best, and ready to challenge for championship gold once again. It put him on a collision course with Dvalishvili once more, and he’ll get a second chance to defeat the Georgian as he bids to become a two-time undisputed champion.

Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan 2: The key factors

The matchup pits head-to-head two elite bantamweights with very different fighting styles. 

Dvalishvili is the most relentless fighter in world MMA. He weaponises his cardio to break down his opponents, by fighting at breakneck pace and utilising his seemingly bottomless gas tank to continually push the pace on his opponents.

The defending champion blitzes in with punches and shoots for takedowns over, and over, and over again. And even if his first one or two takedown attempts fails to get his opponent to the floor, his continuous attacks often prove too much to handle and he eventually gets them down. 

Once there, he dominates from top position and punishes his opponents with strikes. He also has the ability to finish the fight via submission, as evidenced by his north-south choke finish of former champ O’Malley in June.

His gameplan will be no secret – rinse and repeat, push the pace and never stop until the horn sounds to end the round. It’s a hard-nosed, cardio-heavy approach that has proved over the years to be the undoing of almost everyone he’s fought.

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Yan, meanwhile, will want to keep the fight standing. He has some of the best boxing in the UFC, and his stand-up skills make him dangerous all the while he’s on his feet. 

Those feet can’t afford to be planted, however, as he’ll need to stay on his toes to avoid the relentless takedown attempts coming his way. But if he can keep it standing for long enough to land his punches, his chances of victory increase significantly.

Ultimately, the fight will boil down to one crucial area – takedown defence. If Yan can stop Dvalishvili’s wrestling, he has the offensive advantage on the feet. But if he can’t, then the window for success for the former champion narrows significantly. 

Don’t sleep on Yan’s grappling, though. The Russian may only have one submission win to his name, but he’s a solid operator on the ground, scrambles well, and has the ability to snatch up a guillotine choke if Dvalishvili leaves his neck open during a takedown attempt.

FIRST.com’s top tip - Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan 2

Yan probably has more different weapons at his disposal to win the fight, but Dvalishvili’s trump card is his cardio. It’s his version of a knockout punch or elite submission skills, and it’s proved incredibly difficult to deal with. 

Yan struggled with it in their first fight, but he wasn’t 100 percent fit in that fight. Will a fully-fit Yan have enough in the locker to shut down Dvalishvili, then finish him on the feet? 

It’s possible, but Dvalishvili is in the most dominant form of his career, and the smart pick here is to back him to boss the fight with his wrestling once again en route to another decision victory.

PICK: MERAB DVALISHVILI TO WIN BY DECISION @ 4/9 (LADBROKES)

Extra tips

The co-main event will see reigning flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja take on hard-hitting contender Joshua Van, whose emergence as a title threat over the past year has been one of the remarkable success stories of the year in the UFC.

Van has outstanding striking, and possesses the sort of fight-altering punch power to spring a shock result. But Pantoja has a massive experience and grappling advantage, and he looks the clear pick to get the victory and retain his title over Van, whose chance may have come a little too early in his UFC career.

PICK: ALEXANDRE PANTOJA TO WIN @ 2/5 (LADBROKES)

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Odds correct at the time of writing.