In a stunning night of upsets and dramatic turns, Petr Yan reclaimed the UFC bantamweight championship, ending the dominant reign of Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323. The event, held on Sunday 07 December 2025, also witnessed a flyweight title change in a brutally abrupt fashion as Joshua Van capitalised on a catastrophic injury to champion Alexandre Pantoja.
Yan's Revenge: A Puzzle Finally Solved
Two years after a clear decision loss to the Georgian champion, Petr Yan authored a masterful performance to outpoint Merab 'The Machine' Dvalishvili. The victory saw Yan crowned a two-time undisputed UFC bantamweight champion, halting Dvalishvili's remarkable 14-fight win streak that dated back to 2018.
Yan, who previously held the title from 2020 to 2021, displayed a phenomenally well-rounded game. He consistently outstruck the champion and inflicted significant damage with repeated body shots. Demonstrating vast improvement, Yan also showcased elite defensive wrestling to stifle Dvalishvili's relentless grappling pressure, while mixing in offensive takedowns of his own.
The judges' scorecards reflected Yan's control, awarding him a unanimous decision win with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47. This historic win not only avenged his 2023 defeat but also denied Dvalishvili a record-setting fourth title defence in a single calendar year.
Flyweight Chaos: A Championship Lost in 26 Seconds
The championship action began with a co-main event that ended almost as soon as it began. Flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja, aiming to continue his own dominant rule, threw a head kick at challenger Joshua Van just 26 seconds into the first round.
Van caught the kick and shoved the Brazilian to the canvas. In a devastating twist, Pantoja injured his left arm while attempting to break his fall and was immediately unable to continue. The bout was waved off, crowning Myanmar's Joshua Van as the new UFC flyweight champion.
At just 24 years old, Van became the UFC's youngest-active champion and the second-youngest titleholder in promotional history, behind only Jon Jones.
UFC 323: Full Results and Implications
The rest of the card delivered significant outcomes across multiple divisions. The victory potentially sets the 32-year-old Yan on a path for a trilogy fight with the 34-year-old Dvalishvili, reshaping the bantamweight landscape.
UFC 323 Results in Full:
- Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
- Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja via first-round TKO (injury, 0:26)
- Tatsuro Taira def. Brandon Moreno via second-round TKO (ground and pound, 2:24)
- Payton Talbott def. Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov fight to majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
- Manuel Torres def. Grant Dawson via first-round TKO (punches, 2:25)
- Chris Duncan def. Terrance McKinney via first-round submission (Anaconda choke, 2:30)
- Maycee Barber def. Karine Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Fares Ziam def. Nazim Sadykhov via second-round TKO (elbows, 5:00)
- Brunno Ferreira def. Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jalin Turner def. Edson Barboza via first-round TKO (punches, 2:24)
- Iwo Baraniewski def. Ibo Aslan via first-round KO (punches, 1:29)
- Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Antonio Trocoli via first-round submission (guillotine choke, 1:09)
- Mairon Santos def. Muhammad Naimov via third-round TKO (punches, 0:21)
The night at UFC 323 will be remembered for Petr Yan's triumphant return to the summit and the shocking, injury-fuelled ascent of a new young flyweight king, proving once again that in mixed martial arts, fortunes can change in the blink of an eye.
