LAS VEGAS, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Russian Petr Yan put on a superb striking performance to dethrone Merab Dvalishvili and win the UFC bantamweight title via unanimous decision after a five-round war of attrition at UFC 323 at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.
In the co-main event, Joshua Van was crowned flyweight champion under bizarre circumstances as Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja, who was defending the belt for the fifth time, suffered a gruesome broken arm 26 seconds into their title fight.
Having lost the pair’s previous meeting in March 2023, Yan started the main event strongly, using his crisp boxing to regulate the distance between the two in the first two rounds and bloodying the face of his opponent.
With growing confidence, Yan went for a surprise takedown but quickly regretted it as Georgian Dvalishvili reversed the position, though Yan was able to scramble back to his feet and avoid any danger.
A thunderous kick to the body left Dvalishvili backing up late in the third round, but the 34-year-old was still grinning as he came out of the break for the fourth frame, locking up a guillotine choke and almost submitting Yan before the Russian escaped.
As Yan’s work to the body began to take its toll, he saw out the fifth round fighting behind his jab, taking Dvalishvili to the mat in the final seconds. All three judges scored the fight for the contender as he won back the belt he lost to Aljamain Sterling in April 2022.
“I’m very happy to stand here with the championship belt … I’m very, very happy. I worked so hard. I prepared so hard for this moment. This is my life,” Yan said after receiving his new belt.
The evening’s co-main event ended in abrupt fashion as 24-year-old Burmese-American Van caught a kick from defending champion Pantoja, who tried to post on the floor with his arm but fell awkwardly, breaking it and bringing the fight to a halt less than half a minute in.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
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