Petr Yan walked into the Octagon in need of redemption. He walked out a two-time UFC bantamweight champion.
In a high-paced, brutally technical war at UFC 323, Yan solved the riddle of Merab Dvalishvili, snapping the Georgian’s relentless rise with a unanimous decision that reorders one in all the UFC’s most crowded divisions. Where others wilted under Dvalishvili’s pace, Yan met pressure with precision and poise.
From the opening horn, Dvalishvili did what he all the time does. He surged forward behind chain wrestling, shooting early and sometimes, attempting to drown Yan under volume and mat returns. Yan, nonetheless, looked higher prepared than ever, punishing entries with sharp counters and framing elbows that immediately opened up cuts and slowed Merab’s level changes.
By the third round, the story of the fight shifted. As an alternative of being bullied backward, Yan began to face his ground, digging kicks to the body that hurt Dvalishvili, forcing him to pay for each step. When Merab did secure takedowns, Yan’s composed get-ups and wrist control kept him out of prolonged danger and frustrated the grinding specialist.
Merab Dvalishvili screams as he takes a rib breaking kick from Petr Yan🤯 #ufc323 pic.twitter.com/W9HVCq0lIE
— Unbiasedbox2 (@Unbiasedbox2) December 7, 2025
The championship rounds underlined Yan’s evolution. He mixed stance switches, feints, and intercepting knees to disrupt the timing of Dvalishvili’s shots, while landing the cleaner, more damaging boxing mixtures within the pocket. Each failed takedown attempt appeared to chip away at Merab’s gas tank and aura of inevitability.
By the ultimate horn, the contrast was stark: Dvalishvili worn, marked, and swinging desperately, Yan still composed, cold, and ruthlessly efficient. The judges’ scores (49-46, 49-46, and 48-47) only confirmed what the performance had already declared.
For Yan, that is greater than a belt; it’s a narrative reversal. From controversy, split decisions, and the perception that the division had passed him by, he has reclaimed the gold in probably the most meaningful way possible—by outworking the division’s hardest employee.
The bantamweight title picture is once more centered on Petr Yan. And this time, it looks like he plans on keeping it.