Athletes
Petr Yan’s Chance To Rewrite The Story
Former Bantamweight Champ Looks To Reclaim The Title In A Rematch With Merab Dvalishvili At UFC 323
The last time Petr Yan suffered defeat inside the Octagon, it came at the hands of Georgian powerhouse Merab Dvalishvili, who, in the two years since that fight, has won and defended the UFC bantamweight title three times.
With “The Machine” turning back Sean O’Malley twice, top contender Umar Nurmagomedov and Cory Sandhagen, the door has reopened for the former bantamweight king to try and reclaim the throne.
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While fans often want to see fresh matchups when gold is on the line, Yan has done everything he needed to over the last two years to earn this rematch. After defeating Top 5 contender Song Yadong and former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in a five-round main event, Yan continued to risk his position in the rankings by accepting a fight against fast-rising prospect Marcus McGhee.
The Arizona native entered their matchup in Abu Dhabi this past summer riding a six-fight winning streak, but that didn’t deter the Russian. Yan stayed steady and continued his march back toward the top with a unanimous decision win, rightfully earning a chance at redemption with the belt on the line in Las Vegas on December 6.
Since dropping back-to-back defeats to start his UFC career, Dvalishvili has won 14 straight, with each victory seemingly more impressive than the last. Having watched all those bouts and spent 25 minutes of his own with Dvalishvili inside the Octagon, Yan believes he has the solution to stopping “The Machine.”
“A lot of people make the same mistake,” Yan said. “I think I even made the same mistake. They wait for him to work. They give him room to work instead of implementing their own gameplan. I think the way to beat him is to go first and not let him work.”
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While on paper, Yan’s loss to Dvalishvili in March 2023 was the most lopsided defeat of his career, there were positives to take away from that performance. Merab attempted an unprecedented number of takedowns — 49, to be exact — but secured only 11. Yan will need to limit that number even more this time, but stopping 38 while dealing with that unrelenting pressure is commendable in itself.
But, to Yan’s point, it’s not just about stuffing takedowns. He needs to reduce the attempts altogether and press forward from the opening bell, maintaining that pace across all 25 minutes to prevent Dvalishvili from reaching his usual late-round rhythm.
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“I wasn’t 100 percent back then,” Yan said. “I wasn’t able to really work the way I always work. I think I learned a lot. It was a very big experience for me that fight, and now I know this fight on Saturday is going to be a very different fight.”
While this fight was put together rather quickly, considering Dvalishvili just defended the belt in October against Sandhagen at UFC 320, this rematch is something Yan has been eyeing ever since that night in 2023. Capturing the belt with a win over “The Machine” would be the ultimate prize.
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“It weighs a lot more when you get it as a rematch,” Yan said. “You weren’t able to do it then; now, not only do you cross out that loss, but you also get the title. I think it’s going to weigh and mean a lot more for me.
“It’s an incredible feeling, something you can’t describe in words,” Yan said of having the belt wrapped around his waist. “I’ve been waiting for this and I’m going wait for this more until Saturday, and I’m going to be really excited to have this again.”
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 6, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!