"In what was the last Pay-Per-View card in the UFC's ESPN broadcasting contract era, UFC 323 boasted a fittingly exciting night of fights. The 14-fight card featured nine finishes with two of those finishes coming on the five-fight main card. "The Machine," Merab Dvalishvili, stalled and came up short against Petr Yan in the main event, losing his 135lb title."
"This fight should be run back immediately. The pair first fought in 2023 with Merab earning a decision over five rounds. Merab is now 5-1 since that bout. Petr is now 4-0. A lot of fans would appreciate an immediate rematch as both fights were incredibly entertaining. Dvalishvili was attempting a historic fourth title defense in a calendar year. He was an active champion."
"Petr Yan came with the perfect game plan Saturday, piecing up Merab Dvalishvili and denying takedown after takedown on the way to capturing the bantamweight title. Yan entered the fight ranked at #3 in the division. Merab fought tenaciously but Yan just seemed to have an answer for everything that was thrown his way. The pair first fought in 2023 with Merab earning a decision over five rounds."
UFC 323 served as the final Pay-Per-View under the UFC’s ESPN broadcasting contract and produced a 14-fight card with nine finishes, including two on the five-fight main card. Petr Yan executed a perfect game plan, denying Merab Dvalishvili takedowns and claiming the bantamweight title. Dvalishvili fought tenaciously and had previously defeated Yan in 2023; both fights went the distance, setting up a likely trilogy and prompting calls for an immediate rematch. In the co-main, Joshua Van became the second-youngest UFC champion after Alexandre Pantoja suffered an injury 26 seconds into the bout, ending Pantoja’s eight-fight streak.
Read at Cageside Press
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