Tweet
On December 6th, inside the bright, humming coliseum that is T-Mobile Arena, two men from the rugged frontiers of Eastern Europe will step into the Octagon—and only one will leave with the bantamweight crown.
Merab Dvalishvili, the relentless machine who has spent 2025 tearing through opponents like a man possessed, returns to defend his title once more. Four title defenses in a single year: it sounds almost fictional. But Dvalishvili has built his career on doing the improbable.
Fourteen consecutive victories. A march of dominance that began after two early stumbles back in 2017. Since then, he has been as unforgiving as a metronome—steady, precise, unstoppable. He already beat Petr Yan once, by unanimous decision, in March of 2023. And now he seeks to do what few champions dare: look a hungry former champion in the eyes and say, “Again.”
But Petr Yan has no interest in being a footnote.
The Russian bruiser endured three straight losses—one of them at Merab’s hands. For most fighters, a slide like that is the beginning of the end. But Yan is not most fighters. He rebuilt. He retooled. He returned. Three straight wins later, he is coming back not just for the belt, but for revenge.
And revenge, in the UFC, sells.
As if one belt weren’t enough to ignite Las Vegas, UFC 323 offers another: flyweight king Alexander Pantoja will defend his title against the electric, unpredictable Joshua Van. For Pantoja, it’s the fifth defense. For Van, it’s a chance to stop a Brazilian dynasty in its tracks.
If the main event is a battle of wills, this one is a test of fire.
UFC 323: When and Where
Saturday, December 6
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
For UK fans, the night begins in the early hours of Sunday:
Watch it all on TNT Sports and discovery+. Early prelims will stream on UFC Fight Pass.
And if you want every update, every punch, every surge of drama—talkSPORT has you covered on radio, online, and on their MMA YouTube channel.
Fight Card: The Lineup That Sells Itself
Main Card
Prelims
Early Prelims
What They’re Saying
Petr Yan speaks like a man planning a hostile takeover:
“Merab is evolving. Improving. But he won’t stand with me—he knows my boxing is too dangerous. I want to finish the champ early. No talk. No speculation. I’m taking the belt back.”
Across the aisle, Joshua Van offers a promise that sounds like it was carved in steel:
“I’m going to knock him out inside three rounds. If not, it’ll be a war. Pantoja brings it. I bring it. Simple.”
Merab Dvalishvili, the relentless machine who has spent 2025 tearing through opponents like a man possessed, returns to defend his title once more. Four title defenses in a single year: it sounds almost fictional. But Dvalishvili has built his career on doing the improbable.
Fourteen consecutive victories. A march of dominance that began after two early stumbles back in 2017. Since then, he has been as unforgiving as a metronome—steady, precise, unstoppable. He already beat Petr Yan once, by unanimous decision, in March of 2023. And now he seeks to do what few champions dare: look a hungry former champion in the eyes and say, “Again.”
But Petr Yan has no interest in being a footnote.
The Russian bruiser endured three straight losses—one of them at Merab’s hands. For most fighters, a slide like that is the beginning of the end. But Yan is not most fighters. He rebuilt. He retooled. He returned. Three straight wins later, he is coming back not just for the belt, but for revenge.
And revenge, in the UFC, sells.
As if one belt weren’t enough to ignite Las Vegas, UFC 323 offers another: flyweight king Alexander Pantoja will defend his title against the electric, unpredictable Joshua Van. For Pantoja, it’s the fifth defense. For Van, it’s a chance to stop a Brazilian dynasty in its tracks.
If the main event is a battle of wills, this one is a test of fire.
UFC 323: When and Where
Saturday, December 6
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
For UK fans, the night begins in the early hours of Sunday:
- Early prelims: 11pm
- Prelims: 1am
- Main card: 3am
Watch it all on TNT Sports and discovery+. Early prelims will stream on UFC Fight Pass.
And if you want every update, every punch, every surge of drama—talkSPORT has you covered on radio, online, and on their MMA YouTube channel.
Fight Card: The Lineup That Sells Itself
Main Card
- Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan – Bantamweight title
- Alexander Pantoja vs Joshua Van – Flyweight title
- Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira
- Henry Cejudo vs Payton Talbott
- Jan Blachowicz vs Bogdan Guskov
Prelims
- Grant Dawson vs Manuel Torres
- Terrance McKinney vs Chris Duncan
- Maycee Barber vs Karine Silva
- ****m Sadykhov vs Fares Ziam
Early Prelims
- Marvin Vettori vs Bruno Ferreira
- Edson Barboza vs Jalin Turner
- Iwo Baraniewski vs Ibo Aslan
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Antonio Trocoli
- Muhammad Naimov vs Mairon Santos
What They’re Saying
Petr Yan speaks like a man planning a hostile takeover:
“Merab is evolving. Improving. But he won’t stand with me—he knows my boxing is too dangerous. I want to finish the champ early. No talk. No speculation. I’m taking the belt back.”
Across the aisle, Joshua Van offers a promise that sounds like it was carved in steel:
“I’m going to knock him out inside three rounds. If not, it’ll be a war. Pantoja brings it. I bring it. Simple.”
Comment