Championship reigns eventually end for every fighter, no matter how dominant they appear during their run. The bantamweight division has seen multiple title changes over the years, with champions rising and falling. But Merab Dvalishvili bought stability and had been on an incredible tear throughout 2025, defending his belt three times already. His relentless pace and cardio made him seem nearly unstoppable at 135 pounds.<\/p>
Saturday night at UFC 323 told a different story entirely. Petr Yan came prepared with answers for everything Dvalishvili threw at him. The Russian former champion outworked ‘The Machine’ in their rematch, taking back the title he lost years ago. Now Dvalishvili has broken his silence after losing bantamweight title at UFC 323, posting a gracious message on social media.<\/p>
Dvalishvili had defeated Yan back in 2023, establishing dominance that carried him to championship gold. But this fight played out completely differently from their first meeting. Yan had clearly studied the tape and made critical adjustments to neutralize Dvalishvili’s usual advantages.<\/p>
‘The Machine’ got beat up considerably by Yan throughout the five-round battle. All three judges scored the fight for the challenger with scorecards reading 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47<\/a>. Yan was fully deserving of the victory, controlling the action and landing more significant strikes while defending takedowns effectively. <\/p> Dvalishvili remained gracious in defeat while speaking to Joe Rogan during his post-fight octagon interview. He didn’t make excuses or complain about judging, simply accepting the result professionally. That class carried over to his social media message posted shortly after leaving T-Mobile Arena. Dvalishvili wrote that tonight wasn’t his night, but he will back stronger than ever, thanking everyone for their support.<\/p> “Tonight wasn’t my night, but I will back stronger than ever. Thank you everyone for your support.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>