Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 headlines UFC 323, title fight set for co-main event

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili got his wish for a quick turnaround after his latest victory just weeks ago at UFC 320.

UFC CEO Dana White announced on Monday that UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, who defeated Cory Sandhagen just weeks ago at UFC 320, will headline UFC 323 in December.

White announced the news in a recent Instagram live session.

Dvalishvili will run it back with former champion Petr Yan in the UFC 323 main event at T-Mobile Arena. Just two years ago, Dvalishvili broke numerous UFC records in a lopsided win over Yan by unanimous decision.

Since their first fight, Dvalishvili has become one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, with recent successful title defenses against Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley. Dvalishvili has won 14 consecutive fights.

Meanwhile, Yan worked his way back to another title fight after recent wins over Deiveson Figueiredo, Marcus McGhee, and Song Yadong. Before his current run, Yan lost three straight bouts, including defeats to Aljamain Sterling and O’Malley.

But Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2 wasn’t the only major announcement for UFC 323.

 Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 headlines UFC 323, Alexandre Pantoja returns in co-main

In addition, the main event announcement for UFC 323, White shared UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will return in the co-main event against surging contender Joshua Van. Pantoja and Van faced off in the Octagon after their wins at UFC 317 earlier this year.

Van earned the next flyweight title shot after an instant classic against Brandon Royval at UFC 317. Shortly after Van’s win, Pantoja finished Kai Kara-France to remain unblemished in his flyweight title reign.

Pantoja won the UFC flyweight title by outpointing Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 by split decision. He’s successfully defended the title against Royval, Steve Erceg, and Kai Asakura.

The 24-year-old Van will get his first shot at UFC gold just a handful of fights into his promotional tenure. His dramatic rise has included recent victories over Bruno Silva, Cody Durden, and Rei Tsuruya.

The full UFC 323 fight card is expected to be finalized and announced in the coming weeks. The December 6th UFC 323 pay-per-view card will be the final major event of the UFC/ESPN broadcasting partnership, before the UFC moves to Paramount beginning in January.