Merab Dvalishvili to defend title again vs. Petr Yan in December

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will attempt to defend his title for the fourth time this year, in a main event against Petr Yan at UFC 323 on December 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC CEO Dana White said.

Dvalishvili has won 14 straight fights since starting his UFC career 0-2. If Dvalishvili wins, he will become the first champion in UFC history to defend a championship four times in a calendar year.

The bout will be a rematch of a five-round contest that took place in March 2023, when Dvalishvili was moving up the ranks to the title. Dvalishvili dominated Yan in that fight, outlanding him in total strikes 147-75 en route to winning every round on the judges' scorecards. Dvalishvili also took down Yan, who is a former champion, 11 times.