Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 – UFC 323 Who will take the Title?

In the following article, we shall review the upcoming World Bantamweight title so we can give you an accurate Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 prediction. This is an eagerly awaited fight that will take place under the bright lights of Las Vegas and is the headline event of UFC 323. There are plenty of fights to watch on the night for fans and this should be a great evening of UFC action. The main bout is the return match between Yan and Dvalishvili and if it’s anything like the first it will live long in the memory.

The first fight between these two was a heavy-hitting 5 round fight with Dvalishvili taking a unanimous decision from the three judges, who all gave him every round. In a one-sided display, Dvalishvili broke the UFC record in takedowns attempted for a bout making 49 attempts.

This 2nd fight will see Dvalishvili aim to be the first bantamweight in history to make four consecutive defences of the title. Yan on the other hand seeks to regain the belt he lost in 2021 at the same venue to Aljamain Sterling.

What is the latest news?

So as we move towards a Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 prediciton it is clear both fighters fancy their chances in the rematch. Yan has since said he did not respect his opponent enough in the first bout and will fix that error when they meet again. Dvalishvili on the other hand feels he is even more mature and will win comfortably again this time around. He has gone further as well, saying he fancies that he will stop his opponent inside the distance. Both fighters look in good shape in training and should both fall well inside the required weight limits.

Merab Dvalishvili – The Champ goes for History

• Nationality: Georgian
• Record –  21-4-0
• Age:  34
• Height: 5”6
• Reach: 68 inches

Merab Dvalishvili is considered one of the greatest UFC Bantamweight fighters in history. He has remained unbeaten since 2018 in the division. He actually suffered 4 defeats in the opening 11 contests of his career but has since looked unstoppable. He made a real name for himself with the performance of the night with a TKO over Marlon Moraes in 2021. He then won 3 more times, including his first victory over Yan. This led to his outpointing of Sean O’Malley for the Bantamweight World Title in September last year. He has notched up three defences since against O’Malley (Submission) , Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov (Both by Decision).

Petr Yan – Looking to be king again

• Nationality: Russian
• Record –  19-5-0
• Age: 32
• Height: 5”7
• Reach: 67 inches

Petr Yan may be the younger fighter but he is just as experienced as his opponent. He won the 2015 ACB Bantamweight Grand Prix in his first 5 fights but suffered his first loss for the inaugural ACB title to Magomed Magomedov. A loss he later avenged. He has won several fight of the night awards and captured the world title with a brutal TKO of Jose Aldo in 2020. He lost the belt in first defence after being disqualified for an illegal knee against Aljamain Sterling in 2021. He lost the rematch to the same fighter by decision a year later. He then lost to former champ O’Malley and Dvalishvili, before 3 straight wins, which have given him another chance at a World Title fight here.

Where to watch Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2

The full UFC 323 match-up up including Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 event is exclusive to TNT Sports but can be accessed through them via the below platforms.

• Discovery+
• BT
• EE
• Sky Sports
• BBC Sport – Text Commentary

Who is on the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 undercard/card?

There is a packed fight card for the night with Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 headlining. A UFC Betting tip is to have a low-stakes acca on a few fights to keep fight night interesting all the way through.

The biggest other bout of the evening will see the Flyweight world title on the line when Pantoja fights Van just before the main event.

• Alexandre Pantoja vs Joshua Van – Flyweight (World Title)
• Jan Blachowicz vs Bogdan Guskov – Light Heavyweight
• Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira – Flyweight
• Muhammed Naimov vs Mairon Santos – Featherweight
• Henry Cejudo vs Payton Talbott – Bantamweight
• Marvin Vettori vs Bruno Ferreria- Middleweight
• Maycee Barber vs Karine Silva – Women’s Flyweight
• Edson Barboza vs Jalin Turner – Lightweight
• Iwo Baraniewski vs Ibo Aslan – Light Heavyweight
• Grant Dawson vs Manuel Torres – Lightweight
• Terrance McKinney vs Chris Duncan – Lightweight
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Antonio Trocoli – Middleweight
• Nazim Sadykhov vs Fares Ziam – Lightweight

Prediction for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2

This rematch looks a little like a forgone conclusion for me when looking at a Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 prediction. The bookies agree and have Dvalishvilias a huge favourite for the win. I can see why, Dvalishvili looks the bigger stronger man and seems at the peak of his powers. Yan has failed in most of his fights against real top quality opposition such as O’Malley and Sterling. He has however, proved durable having never been stopped. I think that is where the interest in the this bout lies. Will Yan manage to last the distance?

In terms of the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 betting tips have a look at the method of victory market rather than the outright. Yan’s only real hope is to find a way to stop the Titleholder. However, I’m going to back Merab to back his pre-match hype and win inside the five rounds.