Leading up to the UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2 event on Saturday, most thought then-champion Merab Dvalishvili would successfully defend the bantamweight belt in the rematch against former titleholder Petr Yan. They were wrong.
The two first fought at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023. Dvalishvili defeated Yan that night in Las Vegas via unanimous decision. It was the last time Yan lost a fight. With Yan’s win at UFC 323, he became a two-time UFC bantamweight champion and snapped Dvalishvili’s 14-fight win streak. Prior to Saturday, Dvalishvili hadn’t tasted defeat since April 2018.
“Petr Yan, that was one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “What a performance by Petr. Everyone counted him out.”
Sean O’Malley Reaction to Petr Yan Defeating Merab Dvalishvili
Yan first won the bantamweight title in July 2020 defeating legend Jose Aldo via TKO. He lost the belt in his first title defense to Dvalishvili’s teammate Aljamain Sterling by disqualification after delivering an illegal knee to a downed opponent.
He won the interim championship setting up a rematch with Sterling at UFC 273. Sterling retained the title via split decision. After suffering three loses in a row, including one to Dvalishvili, Yan strung together a three-fight winning streak that gained him a rematch with “The Machine.”
Now, after two fights and 50 minutes inside the octagon together, a trilogy match surely awaits.
