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UFC 323 Results: Petr Yan Dethrones Merab Dvalishvili As Joshua Van Stuns Pantoja

UFC 323 Results: Petr Yan Dethrones Merab Dvalishvili As Joshua Van Stuns Pantoja

UFC 323: Yan Flips the Script on Dvalishvili

On a night that felt built for chaos, UFC dropped one of its wildest cards of the year with UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2. Eleven months after being mauled by “The Machine,” Petr Yan walked into Las Vegas as the underdog and walked out a two-time bantamweight champion.

The rematch between Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan was supposed to be the final stamp on Merab’s all-time run. Instead, Yan turned back the clock. He chopped up the champ with sharp boxing, brutal body kicks and surprisingly solid wrestling, stuffing the vast majority of takedowns and even hitting his own slams. By the final horn, Dvalishvili’s face told the story long before the scorecards (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) confirmed the upset.

Flyweight Chaos: Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja

If the main event was surgical, the co-main was a car crash. The flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van ended in the worst way for the long-reigning champ. Just 26 seconds into round one, Pantoja’s arm snapped awkwardly in an early scramble. Van got the TKO (injury), the belt, and a place in history as one of the youngest champions the promotion has seen.

Earlier on the main card, the flyweights stole more shine. In a passing-of-the-torch type matchup, Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira ended with the Japanese prospect swarming the former champ with punches in round two. Taira’s TKO felt like the official announcement that he’s part of the new guard at 125 pounds.

Payton Talbott Humiliates Cejudo on the Mat

If anyone stole Yan’s thunder for “statement of the night,” it was Payton Talbott. The bantamweight rising star took on Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in a fight many assumed would turn into a grind. Instead, Talbott vs. Cejudo became a coming-out party.

At one point Talbott even hit a clean takedown on “Triple C” and celebrated like a fan who’d just cashed a long-shot ticket, a moment that instantly hit MMA Twitter.

Across three rounds, Talbott simply did more everywhere, cruising to a 30-27 sweep and putting himself right in the thick of the bantamweight title picture.

Bonkers Bangers: Ibo Aslan, Torres, Turner and More

The early portion of UFC 323 felt like a finish reel on fast-forward.

Light heavyweight chaos peaked in the wild brawl between Ibo Aslan vs. Iwo Baraniewski, where both men hit the deck multiple times in under a minute. Four knockdowns in about 60 seconds had everyone yelling “fight of the year” before Baraniewski finally shut Aslan’s lights out.

Elsewhere, Brunno Ferreira pulled a veteran-style grind to upset Marvin Vettori in their 189-pound catchweight bout, cashing as the underdog in a measured performance. Their scrap is logged under Brunno Ferreira vs. Marvin Vettori and will matter when the matchmakers reshuffle middleweight contenders.

At lightweight, Manuel Torres continued his violent run by blasting Grant Dawson in the first round. The finish will live on forever on Torres vs. Dawson, and it might finally be the one that gets “El Loco” a ranked opponent.

Further back on the card, Edson Barboza vs. Jalin Turner was billed as a clash of snipers and delivered exactly that—until Turner flipped the switch and walked Barboza down with a ruthless TKO. And in the opener, Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli ended early when Abdul-Malik snatched a lightning-quick guillotine choke.

Women’s Flyweights, French Prospects and Quiet Climbers

On the women’s side, Karine Silva vs. Maycee Barber went the full fifteen, with Barber’s pressure and volume edging a competitive decision. It wasn’t her flashiest outing, but it keeps her on track near the top of the division.

French lightweight Fares Ziam quietly banked one of the best wins of his career, slicing up Nazim Sadykhov with elbows in the dying seconds of round two. If you’re tracking dark horses at 155, keep an eye on Ziam vs. Sadykhov on the record.

Further down, Denzel Freeman outworked Marek Bujło in a grinding heavyweight decision under the Freeman vs. Bujło entry, and Mairon Santos punched his way past Muhammad Naimov in a 148-pound catchweight war that’s now etched in Santos vs. Naimov.

Full UFC 323 Results

Main Card – UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2

Prelims

Early Prelims

UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2 – FAQ

Who won the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 323?

Petr Yan reclaimed the UFC bantamweight belt with a dominant unanimous decision win over Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch, shutting down most of Merab’s wrestling and winning the striking exchanges.

What happened to Alexandre Pantoja against Joshua Van?

Alexandre Pantoja suffered a freak arm injury just 26 seconds into his title defense against Joshua Van. The referee waved the fight off, giving Van a TKO (injury) win and the UFC flyweight championship.

Did Payton Talbott really outwrestle Henry Cejudo?

Talbott didn’t dominate pure wrestling, but he did score a clean takedown on Cejudo and outworked him over three rounds. Judges scored the fight 30-27 across the board in favour of Talbott.

What was the wildest fight on the UFC 323 card?

The early brawl between Iwo Baraniewski and Ibo Aslan was absolute madness, featuring four knockdowns in roughly one minute before Baraniewski closed the show with a knockout.

Where does UFC 323 rank among the best cards of 2025?

With a major title upset, a freak injury dethroning a long-reigning champ, a breakout win for Talbott, and multiple highlight-reel finishes, UFC 323 is firmly in the conversation as one of 2025’s most memorable cards.

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