Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili one more time? Sign us up!
Saturday’s UFC 323 main event saw Petr Yan score a measure of revenge over rival Merab Dvalishvili, and more importantly win a thrilling unanimous decision that made him UFC bantamweight champion for a second time. Yan’s upset win also prevented Dvalishvili from becoming the first fighter to successfully defend a UFC title four times in a calendar year.
It was truly a masterclass from Yan, who not only out-struck Dvalishili, but beat him at his own game stuffing takedown after takedown and even scoring a few of his own. Before the scorecards were even read, it was clear that Yan had done enough to beat Dvalishvili and regain the 135-pound title he lost via an infamous disqualification in 2021.
Fighters reacted with praise for both fighters and veteran Matt Brown is already looking ahead to a third fight, writing on Twitter, “The trilogy fight is going to be epic!”
See more pros reactions from social media below.
The trilogy fight is going to be epic!
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) December 7, 2025
Merab, you are one of the greatest to ever step into this cage. Congratulations. Petya you deserve it #UFC323
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) December 7, 2025
What a fight!! Congratulations to both men @MerabDvalishvil & @PetrYanUFC#UFC323
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) December 7, 2025
What a Main Event. Congrats to the New Champ! #UFC323
— JOSH EMMETT (@JoshEmmettUFC) December 7, 2025
Yan is so good everywhere his technique is almost flawless
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 7, 2025
Well then, @MerabDvalishvil , I think you’d better leave while you still can, because @PetrYanUFC has exposed all your flaws today, and we have studied them very carefully.
— Vinicius “LokDog” Oliveira (@LokdogVinicius) December 7, 2025
Win lose or war @MerabDvalishvil is Georgian legend! #Hallalloffamer
— GIGACHAD (@giga_chikadze) December 7, 2025
Fight of the year? #UFC323
— Azamat Bekoev (@AzamatBekoev) December 7, 2025
DC and Rogan talking about that was a close fight . We must’ve watched 2 different fights ! That was a clinic Yan put on! #UFC323
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 7, 2025

