On Saturday night at UFC 323, the greatest version of Petr Yan that fight fans have ever seen showed up and ended Merab Dvalishvili’s dominant bantamweight title reign.
Yan had a tall task in front of him on Saturday night. He had to beat a champion who had not lost in his last 14 fights dating back to 2018. Furthermore, he had to overcome a pound-for-pound fighter who just beat him two years ago and took him down 11 times in that defeat.
That has been a lot of doubt about whether Yan could get back to being a champion in the UFC. He quieted all the doubters with the greatest performance of what has already been an impressive career.
On Saturday, the Russian’s take-down defense was spectacular, and he was officially taken down just twice in the fight. However, even in the instances when he was grounded, he got back up quickly and pushed the fight back into a standup game. His jab was superb, his counters were on point, and his body work — kick and punches — helped to take some life out of the top cardio “Machine” in the UFC.
However, to keep Dvalishvili on his toes, Yan actually showcased his own grappling and scored three take-downs of his own. It is the first time in the Georgian’s UFC career that he had fewer take-downs than his opponent.
Dvalishvili certainly had his moments. But not being able to score take downs and rest a bit on top had an effect. And when the fight returned to the feet, Yan made him pay with his usual trademark boxing and some very effective kicks.
The fight was a great main event, and after five very hard-fought rounds, Yan became a two-time bantamweight champion. Earning a unanimous decision (49-46 2X, 48-47). One has to wonder if jumping back into a fight camp just two months after his last title defense had a negative effect on Dvalishvili.
Either way, Petr Yan’s outstanding win at UFC 323 sets up a huge trilogy fight at some point in 2023.
