Petr Yan walked into the Octagon in need of redemption. He walked out a two-time UFC bantamweight champion.

In a high-paced, brutally technical war at UFC 323, Yan solved the riddle of Merab Dvalishvili, snapping the Georgian’s relentless rise with a unanimous decision that reorders one of the UFC’s most crowded divisions. Where others wilted under Dvalishvili’s pace, Yan met pressure with precision and poise.

From the opening horn, Dvalishvili did what he always does. He surged forward behind chain wrestling, shooting early and often, trying to drown Yan under volume and mat returns. Yan, however, looked better prepared than ever, punishing entries with sharp counters and framing elbows that immediately opened up cuts and slowed Merab’s level changes.

By the third round, the story of the fight shifted. Instead of being bullied backward, Yan began to stand his ground, digging kicks to the body that hurt Dvalishvili, forcing him to pay for every step. When Merab did secure takedowns, Yan’s composed get-ups and wrist control kept him out of prolonged danger and frustrated the grinding specialist.

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The championship rounds underlined Yan’s evolution. He mixed stance switches, feints, and intercepting knees to disrupt the timing of Dvalishvili’s shots, while landing the cleaner, more damaging boxing combinations in the pocket. Each failed takedown attempt seemed to chip away at Merab’s gas tank and aura of inevitability.

By the final horn, the contrast was stark: Dvalishvili worn, marked, and swinging desperately, Yan still composed, cold, and ruthlessly efficient. The judges’ scores (49-46, 49-46, and 48-47) only confirmed what the performance had already declared.

For Yan, this is more than a belt; it is a narrative reversal. From controversy, split decisions, and the perception that the division had passed him by, he has reclaimed the gold in the most meaningful way possible—by outworking the division’s hardest worker.

The bantamweight title picture is once again centered on Petr Yan. And this time, it feels like he plans on keeping it.