Petr Yan News
Petr Yan is the Fighter of the Year, says former two-weight UFC champion
Harry Kettle - December 31, 2025
Henry Cejudo has explained why he believes Petr Yan deserves to be called Fighter of the Year in the UFC. This year, Petr Yan was able to go 2-0 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He first defeated Marcus McGhee back in July, before going on to beat Merab Dvalishvili and reclaim the UFC bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 323 – which is something very few people thought he could do.
Merab Dvalishvili will get Petr Yan trilogy fight next, predicts UFC analyst
Harry Kettle - December 17, 2025
UFC analyst Din Thomas believes Merab Dvalishvili will get the trilogy fight against Petr Yan in his next outing. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili came up short in his attempt to successfully defend the UFC bantamweight championship for the fourth time in 2025. He lost the strap to Petr Yan, who was able to avenge his loss from their first meeting. As you can imagine, Merab is pretty determined to get a trilogy bout against the new champion.
Merab Dvalishvili goes on social media rampage against Petr Yan just days after UFC 323
Curtis Calhoun - December 10, 2025
It didn’t take long for tensions to ramp back up between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan after their rematch at UFC 323. Petr Yan got his revenge against Merab Dvalishvili last weekend in the UFC 323 main event. More than two years after Dvalishvili put on a history-making performance in their first fight, Yan outpointed Dvalishvili by unanimous decision, showcasing a ‘master class’ in the eyes of analyst Joe Rogan.
Joe Rogan praises Petr Yan's 'master class' after upset win over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323
Curtis Calhoun - December 9, 2025
Longtime UFC analyst Joe Rogan put Petr Yan’s performance at UFC 323 as one of the all-time greatest showings. Petr Yan got his revenge over Merab Dvalishvili to reclaim the UFC bantamweight championship belt at UFC 323 last Saturday. In what was a five-round instant classic, Yan shut down Dvalishvili’s grappling in the later rounds to score a unanimous decision win.
Sean O'Malley discusses possible rematch against UFC champion Petr Yan
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2025
UFC star Sean O’Malley has given his thoughts on a possible rematch between himself and new bantamweight champion Petr Yan. As we know, Sean O’Malley is a former UFC bantamweight champion and one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. After consecutive losses to Merab Dvalishvili, though, he needs to rebuild his reputation at 135 pounds, and that starts with a clash against Song Yadong next month.
Petr Yan accomplishes an unprecedented feat with UFC 323 title win
Dylan Bowker - December 8, 2025
Petr Yan put together a masterclass performance to become a two-time UFC bantamweight champion, but he also put his name in the record books in a fashion that no fighter had done previously in the octagon. Yan avenged a prior loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323 to unseat the dominant champion in a one-sided performance that shocked many due to the lack of competitiveness within it. When Yan fell short to Dvalishvili in their initial fight, it was the third loss in a row for the Russian combatant, with prior setbacks to Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley. In a statistic provided by X account @MMAonPoint, it drew attention to the fact that no UFC fighter has ever gone on to regain their title after going on a three-fight losing streak since losing their hold on the gold.
What's next for the stars of UFC 323?
Cole Shelton - December 8, 2025
The UFC had its final pay-per-view card of the year on Saturday as the promotion was in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC 323. The main event saw Merab Dvalishvili defending his bantamweight title in a rematch against Petr Yan. The co-main event saw Alexandre Pantoja defending his flyweight strap against Joshua Van. In the end, it was Yan who pulled off the upset as he dominated Dvalishvili in all five rounds to cruise to a lopsided decision win to reclaim his bantamweight title. Van, meanwhile, became the new flyweight champ as Pantoja suffered an arm injury not even a minute into the fight.
Merab Dvalishvili's coach reacts to 'nightmare' loss to Petr Yan at UFC 323
Curtis Calhoun - December 8, 2025
Coach John Wood issued his first public remarks about what went wrong for dethroned bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Merab Dvalishvili’s UFC bantamweight title reign came to an abrupt end via a loss to Petr Yan at UFC 323 last Saturday in Las Vegas. In a five-round instant classic, Dvalishvili lost to Yan by unanimous decision as the former titleholder reclaimed the bantamweight belt.
Sean O'Malley in awe of Petr Yan's UFC 323 title win over Merab Dvalishvili
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 7, 2025
Sean O’Malley reacted to Petr Yan’s stellar performance against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Yan challenged Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship this past Saturday in Las Vegas. It was a chance for Yan to not only reclaim the 135-pound gold, but to also get some revenge after being defeated by “The Machine” back in 2023. Mission accomplished for Yan, who earned the unanimous decision victory to close out his 2025.
UFC 323 title winner Petr Yan gets strong message from top contender
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 7, 2025
It didn’t take long for Petr Yan to get a message from someone who could be the next UFC bantamweight title challenger. Yan was the underdog entering his rematch with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323 on Saturday. While Yan dropped a unanimous decision to “The Machine” back in 2023, the rematch was a different story. Yan had success thwarting the grappling of Dvalishvili, which allowed him to work his standup game.
Aljamain Sterling reacts to Petr Yan dethroning Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323
Harry Kettle - December 7, 2025
Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling has given his thoughts on Petr Yan defeating Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323. In the main event of UFC 323, Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. It was an absolutely incredible performance from the Russian sensation, to the point where on two scorecards, he won by four rounds to one. After years of being away from the title picture, he has finally been able to work his way back to the very top.
UFC 323 Bonus Report: Iwo Baraniewski one of four 'POTN' winners
Chris Taylor - December 6, 2025
The Octagon returned to T-Mobile Arena for tonight’s UFC 323 event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses. The pay-per-view event was headlined by a men’s bantamweight title fight rematch featuring Petr Yan challenging Merab Dvalishvili. The bout proved to be a return to glory for Petr Yan. The Russian was able to utilize some amazing takedown defense and beautiful striking to better Merab Dvalishvili for the majority of their five-round affair. Yan was able to hurt ‘The Machine’ on multiple occasions and left the now former champion bloody and bruised after twenty-five minutes of thrilling action.
UFC 323 Results: Petr Yan defeats Merab Dvalishvili (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - December 6, 2025
We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC 323 results, including the main event men’s bantamweight rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan. Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA) will be making a quick turnaround, this after defeating Cory Sandhagen at October’s UFC 320 event. ‘The Machine’ has successfully defended the promotion‘s bantamweight world title on three occasions in 2025, this while defeating Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley and the aforementioned ‘Sandman’.
UFC 323: 'Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - December 6, 2025
The Octagon returns to T-Mobile Arena for tonight’s UFC 323 event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2. Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA) will be making a quick turnaround, this after defeating Cory Sandhagen at October’s UFC 320 event. ‘The Machine’ has successfully defended the promotion‘s bantamweight world title on three occasions in 2025, this while defeating Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley and the aforementioned ‘Sandman’.
UFC 323 rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan won't go any different, says ex-champion
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 5, 2025
One former champion doesn’t think Petr Yan can do much to turn things around against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Yan will get a second chance to get the better of Dvalishvili on Saturday, but the UFC Bantamweight Championship will be at stake this go-around. “The Machine” scored a unanimous decision victory over Yan back in 2023.
UFC 323 weigh-in results: Merab Dvalishvili and other key fighters make weight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 5, 2025
The UFC 323 weigh-ins have wrapped up and both title fights are now official. UFC 323 will emanate from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. The main event will see Merab Dvalishvili chase history. If he successfully retains the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Petr Yan, then he will set a new record for the most successful UFC title defenses in a single year.
Petr Yan expects immediate rematch for Merab Dvalishvili if he beats him at UFC 323: 'Would be a really cool trilogy'
Cole Shelton - December 4, 2025
Petr Yan knows he will have to beat Merab Dvalishvili twice if he’s going to remain the bantamweight champion. Yan is set to return to the Octagon in the main event of UFC 323 in a rematch against Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title. Although Yan is a sizable underdog and was dominated by Dvalishvili two years prior, he has full confidence that he will get his hand raised.
UFC 323's Petr Yan not overly impressed by Merab Dvalishvili's activity
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 4, 2025
As UFC 323 draws closer, Petr Yan isn’t mesmerized by Merab Dvalishvili’s activity. Dvalishvili is nearing the record for the most successful title defenses in a single year in UFC history. To break the record, “The Machine” will need to defeat Yan in a rematch on Saturday. Dvalishvili holds a unanimous decision victory over Yan, and he’s hoping to find even better success this go-around.