Merab Dvalishvili didn’t have to fight Petr Yan again last night (Sat., Dec. 6, 2025) in the main event of UFC 323. In fact, he didn’t have to fight at all.
Let’s be honest: “Fighter of the Year” was already
locked up. Three title defenses over three excellent opponents is an incredible feat over any timeline, let alone within 12 months. Dvalishvili added to what is inarguably the greatest Bantamweight win streak of all time, taking the top slot on most lists for divisional GOAT status in large part because of his efforts from January through October.
Instead, he called out Yan for a do-over, a man he thoroughly defeated in 2023. In the first fight, Dvalishvili shut out the former champion on the scorecards and closed his eye. It was perhaps the most relentless we’ve ever seen “The Machine,” a real announcement of his true championship potential.
Beforehand, it was fair to label this an act of hubris. Cutting weight and fighting four times is not easy, let alone when talking about five-round fights and elite opposition. Furthermore, Dvalishvili could not possibly defeat Yan in more dominant fashion than he did the first time. “No Mercy” has never been finished, and he was already the victim of Dvalishvili’s best work.
On the Dvalishvili side of the equation, there was only room for decline.
How about the mental side of things? Dvalishvili took the first fight with Yan so seriously that he declared afterward he would kill himself if he lost. Ahead of this rematch, conversely, they were joshing around about hot-tubbing. For Merab, it felt like just another title defense, something that might start to feel a little routine when it’s the fourth of the year.
For Yan, it was a long-awaited chance at redemption.
I would argue Dvalishvili’s performance itself showed evidence of overconfidence as well. In the first fight, Dvalishvili relentlessly attacked the lead leg of Yan and shot anytime the Russian wanted to punch. He did so from the first bell, preventing Yan from getting his timing and really beating up the leg in the process. He really only threw punches on the break of clinches or immediately before shooting, giving Yan very few opportunities to land.
That wasn’t the case in the rematch. Dvalishvili failed to kick much at all to his own detriment, and he was far more willing to throw combinations at Yan in the center of the Octagon. By the second half of the fight, Dvalishvili’s takedowns were clearly not working, and he didn’t have a choice. Early on, however, a fresh and fit Dvalishvili was throwing multiple overhands while standing right in front of Yan.
Dvalishvili’s hands have improved over the two years since the first bout. They have not improved enough to box with Petr Yan, but that’s what he tried to do on many occasions! Throwing punches-in-bunches off the high guard of Yan got Dvalishvili’s face skewered early by stabbing jabs and a cracking right hand. Getting his nose smashed early didn’t help him wrestle, nor did it aid him in taking over late when both fatigued.
It has to be mentioned, of course, that Yan also fought masterfully. Dvalishvili didn’t give his title away; it was taken. There were so many little choices to Yan’s approach that were both brilliant and brutal. In the very first round, for example, he’s stuck on the fence with Dvalishvili behind him, working to break the grip. He opted to throw multiple 12-6 elbows to the forearm/wrist, and I’ll be damned if Dvalishvili didn’t keep rubbing his forearm between rounds for the rest of the bout.
Yan’s strike selection from both stances was incredible. He hurt Dvalishvili with straight punches, kicks to the leg and body, angled knees, shifting combinations, and counter punches. He forced his foe into a boxing match and then pulled out all the stops with a varied and relentless attack.
Dvalishvili helped make it possible with his decisions in and out of the cage.
If there’s a theme to UFC 323 as a whole, it’s the fickle fate of championship reigns. Alexandre Pantoja and Merab Dvalishvili were the only male champions with any title defenses to their current reigns, yet both coughed up their titles. Pantoja broke his arm in a freak accident, while Dvalishvili was battered by a man he had utterly dominated just two years ago. The inevitable trilogy bout is no more a guaranteed win for Yan than this rematch was for Merab.
Nothing can be taken for granted in this sport, and daring to be great can backfire even for the best fighters alive.
