Yan Upsets Dvalishvili To Become Bantamweight Champ

Petr Yan made history by beating Merab Dvalishvili to become a two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion via a unanimous decision: 49-46, 49-46, 48-47.

The win avenged the defeat in their 2023 clash, which Merab won. Merab thus missed out on setting the record for the most successful title defences in a calendar year, which would have been four. The win was all the more remarkable since Yan kept up with Merab’s pace and arguably finished the fight stronger. Yan started the fight well, continually targeting Merab’s body. He continued to target the midsection from rounds three to five. Those attacks paid off significantly.

Yan also managed to stop 22 from 24 takedown attempts, something which is almost unheard of when it comes to Merab, as it is his biggest strength. Sean O’Malley previously stated that Merab could be weak to the body, something which other opponents may now target. The result means Merab’s 14-fight win streak comes to an end, marking his first defeat in seven years.

Full Results

Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili by Unanimous Decision to win the Bantamweight Championship.

Joshua Van defeated Alexandre Pantoja by TKO (Injury) in Round 1 to win the Flyweight Championship.

Tatsuro Taira defeated Brandon Moreno by TKO (Punches) in Round 2.

Payton Talbott defeated Henry Cejudo by Unanimous Decision.

Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov ended in a Majority Draw.

Prelims

Manuel Torres defeated Grant Dawson by TKO (Punches) in Round 1.

Chris Duncan defeated Terrance McKinney by Submission (Anaconda Choke) in Round 1.

Maycee Barber defeated Karine Silva by Unanimous Decision.

Fares Ziam defeated Nazim Sadykhov by TKO (Elbows) in Round 2.

Brunno Ferreira defeated Marvin Vettori by Unanimous Decision.

Jalin Turner defeated Edson Barboza by TKO (Punches) in Round 1.

Iwo Baraniewski defeated Ibo Aslan by Knockout (Punch) in Round 1.

Mansur Abdul-Malik defeated Antonio Trocoli by Submission (Guillotine) in Round 1.

Mairon Santos defeated Muhammad Naimov by TKO (Punches) in Round 3.