UFC 323’s Petr Yan downplays Merab Dvalishvili’s historic title defense – ‘It’s very easy’

“No Mercy” isn’t too impressed.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion Petr Yan looks to reclaim the 135-pound strap against reigning king Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 323 this weekend (Sat., Dec. 6, 2025) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The rematch carries plenty of intrigue. Not only did the pair develop nasty bad blood during their first meeting a couple years ago, but Dvalishvili is now on the verge of UFC history. With a win on Saturday, he would become the first champion to defend his title four times in a single calendar year.

Yan, however, remains unimpressed — and says Dvalishvili’s historic run hasn’t been as difficult as it seems.

“Can you remind me where all of Merab’s fights were?” Yan asked reporters during UFC 323 media day (watch here). When told they were all in Las Vegas, one reporter noted that one bout took place in Los Angeles.

Yan wasn’t buying it.

“How long is the flight to LA from Vegas?” he asked, arguing the champion has essentially enjoyed home-field advantage. “It’s very easy to fight in your backyard here in Vegas or Los Angeles. It’s the same thing. You can fight every weekend in your backyard. When I signed in 2018, I had five fights that year, and they were not at home. If they were at home, I could fight ten times in a year.”

While Yan makes a fair point about travel, time zones, and comfort, defending a UFC title four times in a year — regardless of location — is an extraordinary accomplishment, and doing so against elite competition is extremely difficult. Still, the former champ is doing everything he can to frame the narrative heading into fight night.

Maybe the two will argue about it at tomorrow’s UFC 323 press conference.

LIVE! Stream UFC 323 On ESPN+

BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE REMATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Dec. 6, 2025, with an explosive (and final) ESPN+-streamed UFC 323 fight card. In UFC 323’s main event, relentless Georgian Bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, defends his belt against Russian striking phenom and former 135-pound roost-ruler, Petr Yan, in a high-stakes rematch that could reshape the 135-pound division. In UFC 323’s co-headliner, Brazilian Flyweight kingpin, Alexandre Pantoja, battles rising challenger, Joshua Van, for the 125-pound crown in a clash blending elite grappling and knockout power. All that and SO MUCH MORE!!!Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

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