UFC 323 main event
After capturing the title at UFC 306 last year, Dvalishvili has embarked on a warpath of dominance on the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings. In his debut as champion at UFC 311 in January, “The Machine” is coming off blowout wins over top bantamweight names like Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen.
At UFC on ESPN+ 79 in 2023, Yan suffered one of the most disappointing defeats of his career when he lost a convincing match against Dvalishvili. After a one-sided five-round dismantling, he then fell to the Georgian on the scorecards absorbing more than 200 strikes and being knocked down 11 times. But in the time since their first meeting, ‘No Mercy’ has seemingly reinvented themselves, posting three straight wins over Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee.
UFC 323 co-main event
Pantoja claims four consecutive belt retentions and has become the most dominant flyweight titleholder in recent history. ‘The Cannibal’ seems to reach higher and higher levels every time he steps into the Octagon and has defeated impeccable challengers in the form of Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and, most recently, Kai Kara-France.
With his endless gas tank and overwhelming volume, Van is a truly entertaining, favorite competitor who has taken his weight class by storm over the past year. Following a career-defining victory over the aforementioned Royval, “The Fearless” is aiming for the biggest prize in all of mixed martial arts: a UFC championship.
More fights on the UFC 323 main card
To complete the main card, former top flyer Brandon Moreno stakes his claim for a title shot when he faces Japanese star Tatsuro Taira. Also, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo makes his final walk to the cage opposite attractive bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott. Finally, former light heavyweight ruler Jan Błachowicz locks horns with Bogdan Guskov.
UFC 323 Predictions and personnel choices
MMSucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional fighter competition (PFL), ONE championship (A FC), and Contender series by Dana White (DWCS).
- UFC picks include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL picks from main cards for pay-per-views as well as tournament bouts in the regular season, playoffs and finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks include all of the event’s MMA fights with a minimum of three matchups.
The person who chooses the most victorious fighters by the end of 2025 will have the choice of receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed necklace Championship chains. The 2023 personnel picks were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Find our UFC 323 picks and fight odds below.
Personnel details after UFC Qatar:
- Hank Strandberg: 203-112
- Frazer Krohn: 162-115
- Drew Zuhosky: 158-155
- Jeremy Brand: 139-93
- Andreas Benjamin: 32-90
*Note: not all employees choose every event*
Jan Blachowicz -130
vs
Bogdan Guskov +110
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Jeremy brand:
Henk Strandberg: Blachowicz by unanimous decision
Drew Zuhosky: Guskov by unanimous decision
Frazer Krohn: Guskov by round 2 TKO
Staff chooses Blachowicz: 1
Staff picking Guskov: 2
Payton Talbott-255
vs
Hendrik Cejudo +215
BANTAM WEIGHT
Jeremy brand:
Henk Strandberg: Cejudo by unanimous decision
Drew Zuhosky: Talbott by knockout in the first round
Frazer Kron: Cejudo by unanimous decision
Staff chooses Talbott: 1
Personnel picking Cejudo: 2
Tatsuro Taira -125
vs
Brandon Moreno +105
FLYWEIGHT
Jeremy brand:
Henk Strandberg: Moreno by unanimous decision Drew Zuhosky: Moreno by unanimous decision
Frazer Kron: Taira at split decision
Staff chooses Taira: 1
Staff chooses Moreno: 2
Alexandre Pantoja -223
vs
Joshua From +188
FLYWEIGHT
Jeremy brand:
Henk Strandberg: Pantojaja by unanimous decision
Drew Zuhosky: Pantojaja by unanimous decision
Frazer Krohn: Pantoja by submission in the second round
Choosing personnel Pantoja: 3
Picking truck staff: 0
Merab Dvalishvili -415
vs
Petr Yan +315
BANTAM WEIGHT
Jeremy brand:
Henk Strandberg: Dvalishvili by unanimous decision
Drew Zuhosky: Dvalishvili by unanimous decision
Frazer Krohn: Dvalishvili by unanimous decision
Choosing personnel Dvalishvili: 3
Staff chooses Yan: 0
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