Yan upsets Dvalishvili to capture bantamweight championship at UFC 323

Petr Yan stunned favourite Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323 in Las Vegas to end the Georgian’s 14-fight winning streak.

Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili with a dominating effort to capture the bantamweight championship by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Saturday night.

With punishing strikes and several crushing kicks to the rib cage, Yan (20-5) ended Dvalishvili’s 14-match winning streak.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Mbappe compared with Ronaldo, as Frenchman closes on Madrid icon’s record
• list 2 of 4Torres hits Barcelona hat-trick against Real Betis in La Liga goalfest
• list 3 of 4What’s the full match schedule of the FIFA World Cup 2026?
• list 4 of 4Infantino’s ‘Peace Prize’ to Trump raises questions about FIFA’s neutrality

“I’m very happy to stand here with the championship belt; thank you to all the fans,” Yan said, through an interpreter. “I worked so hard, I prepared so hard for this moment.”

Dvalishvili (21-5) hadn’t lost since April 21, 2018, when Ricky Simon won by submission. It was his fourth title match of 2025.

Yan exacted revenge for his last loss when Dvalishvili defeated the 32-year-old by unanimous decision on a UFC Fight Night card on March 11, 2023.

Dvalishvili, 34, closed a -425 favourite, which meant a bettor laid $425 to $100 at BetMGM. Anyone wagering $100 on Yan would have won $320.

“I lost today,” Dvalishvili said. “Congratulations to him.”

Petr Yan, right, punches Merab Dvalishvili in their bantamweight title bout at UFC 323 [Ian Maule/Getty Images via AFP]

In the co-main event, challenger Joshua Van won the flyweight belt from former champion Alexandre Pantoja with a TKO just 26 seconds into the first round after a quirky finish.

In what appeared to be a freak accident, Pantoja (30-6) injured his left shoulder just after throwing a right roundkick to Van’s head. But as Van (16-2) blocked the kick, Pantoja used his left arm to brace his fall. His arm buckled, and he immediately grabbed it and waved to referee Herb Dean to stop the bout at 26 seconds.

In a display of sportsmanship, Van immediately joined Pantoja on the canvas to check on him once the bout was called.