TLDR
- Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to claim the bantamweight championship
- Joe Rogan called Yan’s performance a “masterclass” on his podcast, praising the fighter’s complete game plan against Dvalishvili’s relentless pace
- Yan outstruck Dvalishvili and landed more takedowns, showing improvement from their first fight in March 2023
- A body kick mid-fight hurt Dvalishvili badly and served as a turning point in the bout
- Yan claimed he fought at 50 percent in their first meeting due to an injured right hand that prevented him from grappling or throwing combinations
Petr Yan recaptured the UFC bantamweight championship on Saturday night at UFC 323 in Las Vegas. He defeated Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena. The victory marked a redemption story for Yan, who lost to Dvalishvili in their first meeting.
Yan’s record now stands at 20-5 in MMA and 12-4 in UFC competition. Dvalishvili fell to 21-5 in MMA and 14-3 in the UFC. The five-round fight showcased Yan’s ability to solve a puzzle that no other fighter had managed to crack.
UFC analyst Joe Rogan praised the performance on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “What a masterclass,” Rogan said. “When you’re going to fight a guy like Merab, that is the masterclass.”
Joe Rogan comments on Petr Yan's amazing performance at UFC 323 🏋️♂️ 🏆#Joerogan #PetrYan #MMA pic.twitter.com/LsJJmhY1TC
— Sportskeeda MMA (@sportskeedaMMA) December 10, 2025
Rogan emphasized the difficulty of facing Dvalishvili’s fighting style. “He put on a clinic,” Rogan said. “His training camp must have been hell, had to be hell, and it looked like it.”
Yan’s Strategic Victory
Yan outstruck Dvalishvili throughout the fight. He also landed more takedowns than the former champion. This represented a complete reversal from their first encounter in March 2023.
A turning point came when Yan landed a body kick that hurt Dvalishvili. From that moment forward, Dvalishvili showed less aggression. Yan controlled the fight’s direction and pace for the remaining rounds.
Rogan noted videos of Yan’s training camp preparation. “He was doing some wild strength and conditioning and plyometrics,” Rogan said. “He knew what he was in for.”
The analyst compared the challenge to climbing a mountain. “If you’re going to fight a guy like Merab, you know what the mountain is,” Rogan said. “Are you ready to climb it?”
The First Fight and Injury Claims
Yan lost their first fight by unanimous decision in March 2023. Dvalishvili dominated that bout with a historic performance. He attempted a record 49 takedowns and controlled Yan on the ground.
After the rematch, Yan revealed he fought the first bout with an injured right hand. He claimed he was only at 50 percent capacity. The injury prevented him from grappling or throwing combinations effectively.
Rogan rewatched the first fight after learning about the injury. “He’s barely using it,” Rogan said. “Barely using his right hand.”
So when Petr Yan fought Merab with a hand injury, he kinda got dominated by Dvalishvili. But when he rematched him without the hand injury, we got UFC 323.
Now, when Umar Nurmagomedov fought Merab with a broken hand, he still gave him his toughest & closest fight. Interesting.😃 pic.twitter.com/Buol98gwKN— PAM (@ParamPam1990) December 7, 2025
The analyst acknowledged the mental challenge of fighting with one functional hand. “Psychologically, if you’ve only got one hand, now you have to think you can’t really throw combinations,” Rogan said.
Following his loss to Dvalishvili, Yan won three fights in a row. This winning streak earned him a rematch opportunity. Former rivals Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling both praised Yan’s performance at UFC 323.
The UFC has reportedly assured Dvalishvili of a trilogy fight. The rematch is tentatively scheduled for spring or summer 2026.
