Merab Dvalishvili expecting a ‘war’ against Petr Yan at UFC 323

Merab Dvalishvili is expecting a tough fight at UFC 323 when he takes on Petr Yan.

Dvalishvili is set to defend his bantamweight title for the fourth time in 2025 when he takes on Yan in the main event of UFC 323 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Heading into the fight, Dvalishvili is a -500 favorite while the Russian is a +340 underdog on FanDuel.

Although Dvalishvili dominated Yan for all five rounds nearly three years ago now, he’s expecting a tougher fight on Saturday and thinks it will be a war.

“Petr Yan, I know he’s dangerous. He can do knockouts, he can do takedowns, he’s a good fighter,” Dvalishvili said on UFC 323 Countdown. “It’s going to be a very good fight against him; I’m sure it will be a war. But I will do everything to win against him.”

Yan is a tough out for anyone, and Dvalishvili knows he poses a lot of problems. But the UFC’s bantamweight champion is confident he will be able to get his hand raised to defend his belt again.

Merab Dvalishvili is excited to defend his belt for the fourth time at UFC 323

If Dvalishvili does beat Yan again at UFC 323, he will defend his title for the fourth time in the calendar year.

No person has defended their belt four times in a year, and Dvalishvili said that his goal on Saturday is to set a record.

“I’m defending my UFC belts four times this year because I want to make another record. At UFC 323, I’m going to beat him. The best guy will win, and I’m the best,” Dvalishvili said.

Dvalishvili beat Umar Nurmagomedov by decision in January. He then submitted Sean O’Malley in June and beat Cory Sandhagen by decision in October. He’s 21-4 as a pro and is riding a 14-fight winning streak, as his last loss came in 2018.