LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 10: (L-R) Opponents Petr Yan of Russia and Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on March 10, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The final UFC pay-per-view of 2025, and perhaps ever, has a main event. That fight card, UFC 323, takes place on Saturday, December 6, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the UFC 323 main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili looks to defend his title for the fourth time in 2025, when he faces former champ Petr Yan in a rematch. With a win, Dvalishvili will become the first UFC champion to defend a UFC title four times in a calendar year.
Dvalishvili and Yan first met in 2023. Dvalishvili won that five-round non-title fight by unanimous decision, besting Yan (50-45 x 3) on the scorecards. Dvalishvili, who won the UFC bantamweight belt in September 2024 with a decision win over Sean O’Malley, has defended his title in 2025 against Umar Nurmagomedov (UFC 311), O’Malley (UFC 316), and Cory Sandhagen (UFC 320). The champ defeated Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen via decision and submitted O’Malley in the third round.
The co-main event of UFC 323 is also a title fight. In that matchup, UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja looks to defend his crown against the surging Joshua Van.
UFC 323 Main Event: Merab Dvalishvili Vs. Petr Yan Opening Betting Odds And Line Movement
When the odds were announced for the UFC 323 main event, Dvalishvili was the -400 betting favorite over the +220 Yan. The betting line has moved. Today, BetOnline has the champ listed at -360, while Yan comes in as the +295 betting underdog.
When the lines closed for their first meeting, Yan was a -286 favorite over the +200 Dvalishvili.
UFC 323 Main Event: Merab Dvalishvili Vs. Petr Yan
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 04: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts to his win over Cory Sandhagen in the UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 320 event at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Zuffa LLC
Merab Dvalishvili (21-4), a long-time training partner of former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling stepped into the spotlight of the promotion’s 135-pound division in September 2014 when he scored a unanimous decision win over then-champion Sean O’Malley in the main event of UFC 306.
The 34-year-old Dvalishvili joined the UFC in 2017 as much-hyped prospect. At the time, Dvalishvili was 7-2 and had won and defended the Ring of Combat bantamweight crown.
Dvalishvili did not have a smooth start to his UFC run, losing his first two fights. Falling to Frankie Saenz by decision, and the second, to Ricky Simon, via submission. In September 2018, things clicked in place for the Serra-Longo Fight Team product, and he has not lost since.
Heading into UFC 306, Dvalishvili was on a 10-fight winning streak. Prior to his matchup against O’Malley, Dvalishvili had defeated Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. The win over O’Malley stretched his winning streak to 11 straight. Dvalishvili extended that streak to 12 when he defended his title with a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.
Dvalishvili faced O’Malley in a rematch at UFC 316. O’Malley had not fought since he lost his title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306. Despite making wholesale changes to his life and training heading into UFC 316, Dvalishvili easily dispatched O’Malley in their second meeting, ending the fight in the third round via submission.
In his most recent title defense, Dvalishvili outworked Sandhagen, earning a unanimous decision win (49-45, 49-45, 49-46).
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 26: Petr Yan of Russia reacts after a victory against Marcus McGhee in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena on July 26, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Zuffa LLC
Petr Yan (19-5) is on the rebound. The 32-year-old former UFC bantamweight champion was 1-4 between March 2021 and March 2023, but has gone 3-0 with three decision wins in his past three outings.
Yan won the vacant UFC bantamweight belt by trouncing former UFC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo in July 2020. Yan’s run with the belt was short, as he lost the title in his first attempted defense. Yan handed the strap to Aljamain Sterling in March 2021 after Yan blasted Sterling with an illegal knee that prevented Sterling from continuing.
In October 2021 Yan picked up the interim bantamweight title with a decision win over Cory Sandhagen. Yan’s next outing was a title unification matchup with Sterling. Sterling retained the belt with a split-decision win.
Yan followed his loss to Sterling with a split-decision setback to Sean O’Malley in October 2022. He then dropped a March 2023 scrap to Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision. Yan got back in the win column in March 2024 with a decision win over Song Yadong.
Following that victory, Yan earned a decision win over former UFC flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo in a five-round affair in November 2024. In his most recent outing, Yan earned a decision over Marcus McGhee in a three-round bout in July.
The former champion heads into the UFC 323 fight card as the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC bantamweight rankings.
We will have more on UFC 323, including opening betting odds for the co-main event as fight night approaches.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trentreinsmith/2025/10/14/ufc-323-main-event-merab-dvalishvili-vs-petr-yan-2-opening-odds/
