The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) final premium event, UFC 323, concluded this weekend and it was one of the most eventful cards of the year. Top to bottom, this card was packed with entertainment. From epic title fight performances to an outstanding set of prelims, the UFC capped off the ESPN era with a bang.
Of course the most outstanding thing that happened on the card was the absolutely stellar performance by the brand new Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan in the main event. Lots of people, including myself, were counting Yan out of his fight with the seemingly unsolvable puzzle in Merab Dvalishvili, but Yan completely stunned everyone with an awe-inspiring performance. Everything that Merab had exposed in their first fight was fixed. Dvalishvili still shot over twenty takedowns, but Yan’s defense looked astonishing at every turn.
While it was not his highest output, Yan hurt Dvalishvili a number of times, most significantly in the third round with a vicious body kick that made the champion scream in agony. Dvalishvili can not lose the cardio battle, but Yan still managed to out-damage him and in many moments, out-grappled the presumably unstoppable grappler.
Despite Yan’s suffocating and dominant performance, the fight itself was still a fun, back-and-forth battle, in contrast with what the 49-46 scorecard may suggest. Merab was a lot more aggressive in the striking than usual and it honestly may have been his downfall in this fight. The first round was the closest round, with a majority of people thinking Yan won with a great straight right hand that rocked Dvalishvili, but I thought the champion won the round with his relentless pressure and clinch control.
Everyone is aware of Yan’s amazing technical skill, but after his first encounter with Dvalishvili, lots of people wrote him off. Fortunately, he proved his worth and talent with an amazing performance that resulted in him becoming the new two-time Bantamweight Champion.
Perhaps the only negative on the card was a very glaring one. I, like a lot of fans, was very excited for the co-main event Flyweight Title fight between champion Alexandre Pantoja and surging contender Joshua Van. The expectations for the fight were extremely high, with both guys being known for their high pressure, pace and finishing ability. This unfortunately made the ensuing twenty-six-second fight a major disappointment.
After a single great exchange between the two, Pantoja threw a head kick that was caught by Van and the latter pushed him backwards to try and put him on his back. Pantoja, trying to break the fall, put his arm back and tragically dislocated his elbow, leading to him lying on his back clutching his arm helplessly. Van showed lots of class by not hitting him after he went down, but the fight was stopped immediately after the referee noticed the injury.
The injury itself looked far more severe than a mere dislocation, as in the slo-mo replays, it looked as if Pantoja completely broke his arm. If his injury does turn out to not be very severe, there is hope for a potential immediate rematch. However, if the injury is as bad as it looked, the 35-year-old former champion’s career may never be the same.
Nonetheless, a new champion was crowned and even though it was not the way anyone wanted, Joshua Van’s hand was raised. While a rematch with Pantoja is obviously what needs to happen, the window of availability for the former champion may prevent it from happening. Van fought four times in 2025, winning each matchup in entertaining fashion barring Pantoja’s injury.
The most likely thing to happen is a showdown between Van and brand-new number one contender Tatsuro Taira of Japan. While not as exciting as a fight with Pantoja, this is still a very high-level fight between two young and hungry flyweights. With the king being gone for the moment, the division is wide open. The fight this coming weekend between Brandon Royval and Manel Kape will have major implications for the rest of the division.
Speaking of Taira, the Japanese superstar defeated Brandon Moreno in the featured main card bout at UFC 323. Taira’s Jiu-Jitsu is possibly the most elite Jiu-Jitsu in the lower weight classes. Paired with the well-rounded former champion in Moreno, people expected a very close fight between the two. Following a good round for Moreno in the first, Taira took over in the second. He took his back, postured up and delivered excellent ground and pound until the referee stopped the fight.
A TKO (technical knockout) victory is certainly not what people expected in this fight. Furthermore, lots of fans have criticized the stoppage for being early, a take that I do not agree with at all. Taira threw lots of hard punches while on the back of Moreno and he simply could not defend the strikes or change positions. He was lying on his stomach with an elite grappler on his back punching him repeatedly with zero answer.
Taira looked very impressive and it drew some questions about how he would perform in a title fight. While his striking on the feet is still relatively unproven, his grappling can give every top contender trouble and that includes the new champion, Joshua Van. It will be interesting to see how the UFC deals with the new title picture in the flyweight division, but whatever the next title fight ends up being, it is sure to be extremely high-level.
Also on the main card was a fast-paced and entertaining fight between rapidly rising prospect Payton Talbott and former UFC two-weight champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. Make no mistake, Cejudo is out of his prime, but he definitely showed up to brawl in his retirement fight this past Saturday.
Cejudo went out on his shield, as he abandoned his wrestling to instead clash with Talbott on the feet. While Talbott won all three rounds, it was still a great retirement performance for Cejudo. Talbott looked extremely skilled in this fight, cementing his place in the top ten. It is incredible how Talbott has managed to rise in the rankings despite the bad loss to Raoni Barcelos earlier this year.
The opening fight on the main card was a light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov. Blachowicz continued his streak of disastrous luck, because after a hard-fought battle, the fight was scored a majority draw despite Blachowicz winning two rounds. A big second round for Guskov was granted a 10-8 on two of the judges’ scorecards, thus making the fight a draw.
Blachowicz has not officially won a fight in a very long time, yet all of his recent fights have been extremely close. Guskov also looked very solid in the light heavyweight division. He fought up the rankings, facing a top-five opponent in Blachowicz while being outside the top ten. Guskov still showed his tremendous ability, specifically in the second round.
The prelims for UFC 323 were generational, capped off with a first-round knockout victory for Manuel Torres over Grant Dawson. Torres looked fantastic on the feet, while Dawson continues to show that his chin is a major liability.
Terrance McKinney and Chris Duncan went to war; indeed, that was the most unsurprising thing on the card. Both fighters are known for their insane finishing ability, especially McKinney, who has never seen a decision in the octagon. Nonetheless, Duncan earned a first-round submission victory, extending his win streak to four. Duncan absolutely deserves a ranked matchup next.
The prelims also saw amazing performances by the returning Jalin Turner, Fares Ziam, Iwo Baraniewski and Mansur Abdul-Malik, all of them earning finishes. The Baraniewski fight in particular, while only lasting a minute and a half, was a fight of the year contender, as both he and Ibo Aslan knocked each other down in an incredibly fast-paced war.
In conclusion, UFC 323 was a stellar event. The main event was a great fight and every fight besides the co-main event flyweight title fight was very entertaining. This was a landmark event, as it was the final pay-per-view of the ESPN era. Not only that, but the event marked the beginning of two new championship reigns, as well as great returns and debuts across the card. The ESPN era is very nostalgic to me, as for as long as I have been watching the sport, ESPN has been partners with the promotion. Despite that, I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming Paramount cards coming soon.
