Petr Yan shares bold prediction for UFC 323 title fight against Merab Dvalishvili

Petr Yan expects to reclaim his bantamweight title at UFC 323 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Yan is set to rematch Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 323 for the bantamweight title. The two fought back in March of 2023, and it was Dvalishvili who dominated Yan en route to a lopsided decision.

However, since then, Yan has won three straight fights and is confident he won’t just beat Dvalishvili, but will get an early KO to send a statement to the entire division.

Petr Yan is hunting fan or early finish at UFC 323

“After our fight with Merab, I’m trying to move on from that moment, with notes and corrections from that fight,” Yan said on UFC 323 Countdown. “And I understand I have a new fight ahead. I need to approach it differently, but already with the knowledge and awareness of what worked and didn’t work the last time. So now the approach is more correct, more deliberate. Wrestling, striking, and tactical elements, everything will be there.

“To defend against him and to impose my strengths. With Merab, you can see he’s evolving. You can see he’s improving in striking. But I don’t think Merab’s plan will be to fight me standing. If we look at my boxing skills, he understands that it’s risky for him. I want to win by early knockout. When you finish the champion early, it leaves absolutely no talk, no speculation. I want to take the belt back and get my revenge. I have everything it takes to beat him.”

It’s a bold comment from Petr Yan as he has full confidence he won’t just beat Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323, but will finish him. Yan does have four knockout wins in the UFC, so he has shown that the power is there.

Yan enters the bout with a record of 19-5 and is coming off a decision win over Marcus McGhee. On the winning streak, he also beat Deiveson Figueiredo and Song Yadong.

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