Petr Yan returned to the top of the bantamweight division after defeating Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Saturday night. The fight took place at the T-Mobile Arena and became the main focus of the event, even though other exciting matches also happened on the card.

In their first meeting on 11 March 2023, Dvalishvili had beaten Yan over five tough rounds. This time, the result was very different. From the first bell, Yan moved forward with confidence and kept putting pressure on his opponent. He targeted Dvalishvili’s body early in the fight, and this plan slowly reduced the Georgian fighter’s speed and strength in the later rounds.

Yan used sharp jabs and clean strikes throughout the match. By the end, Dvalishvili showed visible signs of damage, including cuts and bruises, as Yan controlled most of the action. All three judges scored the fight in Yan’s favour.

After the match, Yan said he was very happy to once again hold the championship belt. He thanked the fans, his team, and UFC president Dana White for the support, adding that he had worked very hard for this moment and that the sport had changed his life.

Dvalishvili, who missed the chance to defend his title for a fourth time this year, admitted that Yan was better on the night. However, he made it clear that he wants a third fight in the future to settle the rivalry.

Other results on the main card included Joshua Van’s first-round TKO win over Alexandre Pantoja, Tatsuro Taira’s second-round TKO win against Brandon Moreno, and Payton Talbott’s unanimous decision win over Henry Cejudo. Jan Błachowicz and Bogdan Guskov ended their fight in a majority draw.