At UFC 323, Merab Dvalishvili’s fourth defense of his bantamweight championship in 2025 didn’t go as ‘The Machine’ had expected, as Petr Yan played the spoiler.
Despite Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure, Yan did not back down and landed the better shots. He also scored his own takedowns and pocketed the win by unanimous decision.
Dvalishvili said after the loss that he wanted to stand and bang with Yan, and not wrestle as much as he usually does. The Georgian wanted to put on an exciting show for the fans, and despite the loss, he has been the most active champion, with three title defenses this year.