Ultimately, it was Yan who pulled off the upset as he dominated Dvalishvili in all five rounds and cruised to a lopsided decision to regain his bantamweight title. Van, meanwhile, became the new flyweight champion when Pantoja suffered an arm injury less than a minute into the fight.
After UFC 323, this is what I think should be the next step for the event’s stars.
Peter Jan
Petr Yan was a big underdog in his UFC 323 title fight when he was dominated by Dvalishvili just over two years ago. Still, the Russian fought well, as he was able to defend the takedowns and get Dvalishvili to his feet. It was a great performance from Yan, who won back his title after losing it in 2020.
Although Yan and Dvalishvili are 1-1, a trilogy probably won’t be next as he needs a win or two. Yan’s first title defense should come against Umar Nurmagomedov, should he win at UFC 324. If Deiveson Figueiredo pulls off the upset, the winner will be Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong probably the battle.
Merab Dvalishvili
Merab Dvalishvili wanted to defend his bantamweight title for the fourth time this year, but he fell short. He struggled to get Yan down and was put on his feet as it was a lopsided result for him.
Dvalishvili will likely need another win to get a title shot, but that will take some time. A logical next fight is the confrontation with Aiemann Zahabi, who is also approaching a title shot. The winner of that fight should be in line to fight for a title shot.
Joshua Van
Joshua Van became the new UFC flyweight champion on Saturday when Alexandre Pantoja injured his arm early in the fight. It was a disappointing way to become champion, but Van came first UFC champion born in the 2000s.
Although Pantoja has been a champion for years, the injury will probably keep him sidelined so that Van does not have to play him again. Instead, Van’s first title defense should come against Tatsuro Taira, who picked up a big win over Brandon Moreno.
Alexandre Pantoja
Alexandre Pantoja lost his flyweight title due to injury on Saturday. It was a disappointing result as this was going to be a good test for the Brazilian and we didn’t get to see much of the fight.
Pantoja will need some time off to recover and could get a title shot once he’s healthy, even if Van has a fight in between. But Pantoja should announce the winner of Manel Kape vs. should meet Brandon Royval, with the winner getting a title shot.
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