Dvalishvili will indeed attempt to become the first UFC champion to successfully defend his belt four times in a calendar year when he rematches Petr Yan at UFC 323 in December.
Merab Dvalishvili will get his chance to make history with a fourth title defense in one calendar year.
UFC CEO Dana White announced Monday that the reigning UFC bantamweight champion Dvalishvili (21-4) will be challenged by Petr Yan (19-5) at UFC 323 on Dec. 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The title tilt will be a rematch nearly two years removed from their first meeting.
Dvalishvili, 34, recently earned his third bantamweight title defense when he defeated Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 two weekends ago. In the aftermath of the fight, "The Machine" made his intentions clear that he wanted to turn around quickly. Now, he'll get his wish.
The matchup offers both men a familiar test with higher stakes. Dvalishvili defeated Yan via a dominant unanimous decision in March 2023, overwhelming the former champion with his patented relentless pace and wrestling over five rounds. The victory is commonly remembered for Dvalishvili setting the takedown attempt record with 49 in a single fight.
Since then, both fighters have taken different paths but remained among the division’s most notable names. Yan has rebounded from that difficult stretch with three straight wins, looking to regain the consistency that once made him champion.
Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2 wasn't the only title fight announced for UFC 323, as White revealed the co-main event will feature the flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Standing in his way will be the young superstar striker, Joshua Van. Another bantamweight tilt was also announced, featuring the former champion Henry Cejudo against notable prospect Payton Talbott.
Check out the current UFC 323 lineup:
Bantamweight: (C) Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan
Flyweight: (C) Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van
Bantamweight: Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott
Light heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
Middleweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Brunno Ferreira
Flyweight: Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira
Flyweight: Maycee Barber vs. Karine Silva
Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trócoli
Lightweight: Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan
Category: General Sports
