Petr Yan turned in a lights-out performance UFC323defeating Merab Dvalishvili to regain the bantamweight crown.
Yan had fans on their feet early, connecting with a big right hand that stunned the defending champion. Dvalishvili immediately went to work, but was unable to get Yan to the mat. However, Yan scored his own takedown in the second stanza, sending Dvalishvili to the mat before ‘The Machine’ reversed the position.
Yan shot back to his feet in a short time and remained upright for the rest of the round.
Yan continued to find success in the third, picking Dvalishvili up at the fence and slamming him headfirst into the canvas. Dvalishvili used the cage to climb back to his feet and tried to retaliate with a combination that put Yan on his bike.
With just seconds left in the third, Yan uncorked a nasty body kick that drew an audible gasp from Dvalishvili.
Yan continued to punish Dvalishvili’s body in the fourth, putting him up on the scorecards and five minutes away from becoming UFC champion again.
Yan recorded his fifth takedown of Dvalishvili in the fifth, while ‘The Machine’ only managed two of his 25 takedown attempts.
Ultimately, ‘No Mercy’ would emerge victorious, handing Dvalishvili his first defeat in more than seven years.
Official result: Petr Yan final Merab Dvalishvili wins the UFC bantamweight world championship via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47).
Watch highlights of Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan at UFC 323:
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