Petr Yan had a reflective mood following his win of the bantamweight championship at UFC 323.
‘No Mercy’ became the 135lb king by knocking out Jose Aldo at UFC 251 in July 2020.
In his first match against Aljamain, Sterling, he was penalized for an infamous illegal kick.
A split decision defeat in their rematch was the start of a three-fight losing streak that suggested Petr Yan‘s days as champion were over – but he’s back at the top of the heap after four consecutive wins inside the Octagon.
LATEST NEWS – Islam Makhachev sent a message to Merab Davalishvili following the brutal end of his title reign in UFC 323.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Petr Yan reflects upon his first title reign
Petr Yan’s performance in the UFC 323 final was his best ever.
‘The Machine’ was on a 14-fight win streak and looked unstoppable ahead of their fight on Saturday night.
For many, Merab Dvalishvili‘s latest victory was a foregone conclusion because he dominated Yan for 25 minutes when they first fought in March 2023.
In their rematch everything was different, as Yan limited the Georgian wrestler only to two takedowns.
Dvalishvili’s feet were covered in blood after a massive five-round victory in Las Vegas.
Ultimately, the cageside UFC 323 judges scored the fight 49–46, 49–46, and 48–47 for Yan.
Petr Yan, who should he fight next?
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
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Yan reflected post-fight on what went wrong for him when he became UFC champion first…
2025-12-07 22:00:00
