Petr Yan waited nearly three years to exact his revenge on Merab Dvalishvili but he put on an absolute masterclass to reclaim the bantamweight title with a dominant performance in the UFC 323 main event.
From the start of the fight, Yan showed steely resolve as he punished Dvalishvili with a devastating striking arsenal that included a nasty lead jab and some brutal body shots that did a ton of damage. By the end of the fifth round, Dvalishvili’s face was mangled with cuts, bruises and blood and Yan was already throwing his hands in the air to declare victory.
The judges ultimately scored the fight 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 as Yan becomes a two-time UFC bantamweight champion while simultaneously ending Dvalishvili’s reign.
“I’m very happy to stand here with the championship belt,” Yan said after his win. “Thank you so much to all the fans. I’m very, very happy. I worked so hard. I prepared so hard for this moment. This is my life.
“I want to give props to that team. That’s an incredibly hard, strong team. Thank you so much, Dana [White]. UFC changed my life.”
Dvalishvili dared to be great by going for a fourth title defense in the same calendar year — a feat that had never been accomplished — but Yan just outdueled him across the 25-minute war.
“I tried to give an entertaining fight and I lost today,” Dvalishvili said. “He was better. Congratulations to him but I want a rematch, I want to run it back.
“It’s always hard for me to make 135 … it was hard but I’m not making any excuse. I try to give everybody a good fight. I’m a good company man. I’m happy. We try to [entertain people] He was a better fighter today.”
Yan showed tremendous improvements from his first encounter with Dvalishvili where he largely got stuck playing defense but this time around, he showcased an offensive onslaught to win back the 135-pound title.
A slick jab and forward aggression set the tone for Yan early but Dvalishvili showed off his constantly improved striking with several thudding shots of his own. Midway through the opening round, Yan cracked Dvalishvili with a hard right hand that wobbled the bantamweight champion, which forced him to seek his first takedown.
Yan showed off effective wrestling defense with Dvalishvili staying in pursuit until the horn sounded.
On the restart, Dvalishvili was quick to close the distance to look for another takedown but Yan resisted before escaping away from the cage. Yan immediately snapped off another nasty lead jab with a huge overhand behind it that definitely got Dvalishvili’s attention.
Out of nowhere, Yan actually secured a takedown of his own but Dvalishvili rolled through to reverse positions before the bantamweights scrambled back to the feet. Dvalishvili wasted no time closing the distance again but he just couldn’t seem to drag Yan to the canvas.
With a busted nose and blood dripping down his face, Dvalishvili connected with a hard right hand but another takedown attempt was reversed with Yan actually slamming the champion down on his head. Dvalishvili bounced right back up and scooped Yan into the air to bring him crashing to the canvas.
Unfortunately, Dvalishvili couldn’t hold him there but he was still marching forward with Yan seemingly slowing down. Just when it looked like Dvalishvili might be taking over with his relentless pace, Yan uncorked a brutal body kick that stopped the Georgian in his tracks.
Dvalishvili survived and went back to his corner to reset but he was wearing the damage all over his face.
A guillotine choke attempt from Dvalishvlii came close at the start of round four but Yan escaped and got back to his feet again. Yan stayed on the attack until he cracked Dvalishvili with another punch that had the champion wobbled.
Yan was keenly aware of the damage he was doing but he was also not overexerting himself. Another body shot thudded off Dvalishvili’s midsection and Yan was really beginning to punish him with every blow landed.
With five minutes remaining, Yan was staying aggressive, putting Dvalishvili on his backfoot and attacking with crisp, powerful combinations. Again and again, Yan was killing Dvalishvili with his lead jab and the body shot that just couldn’t be avoided.
Yan was putting on a truly masterful performance, showing tremendous defense and then punishing Dvalishvili with a relentless striking attack. With just over a minute remaining, Yan scored with another body kick that had Dvalishvili grunting and reacting to the obvious pain he was enduring.
There was no doubt when it was over that Yan did more than enough to win as he becomes the first person to hand Dvalishvili a defeat since his second appearance in the UFC back in 2018. While it was a stunning performance from Yan to win the belt, it’s tough to imagine that these two don’t see each other again in 2026 after Dvalihsvili had largely dispatched all of the other contenders at 135 pounds.
For now, Yan just gets to enjoy his victory as he begins his second reign as UFC champion.
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