The final UFC PPV of the ESPN era has arrived! The first UFC PPV that aired on ESPN was UFC 236 in April 2019. The reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili is defending his title against Petr Yan in the Main Event. The second of two title fights sees Alexandre Pantoja putting his 125-pound title on the line against No. 1 Joshua Van in the co-main event.
There have been eight fighters to successfully defend their title three times in a calendar year. But Dvalishvili is attempting to do something no one has ever done: defend their UFC Championship four times in a single year. The Machine isn’t just a nickname for Dvalishvili. It is a mentality that he displays each time he steps into the Octagon, with a skill set and pace that make it nearly impossible to defeat.
Since their first fight, Yan has gone 3-0 while the champion has won five bouts. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Dvalishvili is a massive -410 favorite with Yan being a +320 underdog. With a victory at UFC 323, Dvalishvili would tie TJ Dillashaw for the most title wins (5) in UFC Bantamweight history. Dvalishvili would also tie Aljamain Sterling for the most wins (14) in 135-pound history. “The Machine” ties Kamaru Usman for the second-longest winning streak (15) if he beats Yan.
The co-main event features an intriguing Flyweight title fight between 125-pound king, Pantoja, and rising star Van. Since 2021, Pantoja has transformed his game and has looked invincible. Pantoja is 8-0 In that period, five of them came in title fights. His latest two wins against Kai Kara-France and Kai Asakura came via submission. Even though Van is 24, he could be Pantoja’s toughest test yet. Van isn’t just a great striker but one of the best we’ve seen. He averages 8.86 significant strikes per minute, which is the most in UFC history. The defending champion is a -238 favorite as Van is +195.
The third fight of the UFC 323 Main Card sees another Flyweight fight between former title holder No. 2 Brandon Moreno vs. No. 5 Tatsuro Taira. “The Assassin Baby” competed in six straight title fights from 2021 to 2023 en route to becoming a two-time champion. But since he has fought on three consecutive UFC Fight Nights, this is Moreno’s first UFC PPV appearance since UFC 290. Moreno is +105 while Taira is the favorite at -125 in this contest.
No. 10 Henry “Triple C” Cejudo is facing rising prospect Payton Talbott in the final fight of his illustrious MMA career. Cejudo has lost three consecutive fights and is trying to get back in the win column for the first time since May 2020. Talbott, 27, is 4-1 in the UFC with his latest victory coming against Felipe Lima at UFC 317 in June. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Talbott is a -250 favorite with Cejudo being a +205 underdog.
The first of four former champions on this card is No. 5 Jan Blachowicz, who is facing No. 11 Bogdan Guskov. Guskov is on a four-fight winning streak, with all coming by finish. Blachowicz has suffered two straight losses since his last win in May 2022. Even though Blachowicz hasn’t won in quite some time, he is still a -130 favorite in this bout with Guskov being a +110 underdog.
This week’s UFC 323 PPV airs live on ESPN+ PPV at 10:00 p.m. ET. The Early Prelims for this event begin at 6:00 p.m. ET with the Prelims starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, Disney+, and FX.
Main Card
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| (C) Merab Dvalishvili vs. #3 Petr Yan 2 Main Event: Title Fight | 21-4 (14-2 UFC) vs. 19-5 (11-4 UFC) | Bantamweight | -410 vs. +320 |
| (C) Alexandre Pantoja vs. #1 Joshua Van Co-Main Event: Title Fight | 30-5 (14-3 UFC) vs. 15-2 (8-1 UFC) | Flyweight | -238 vs. +195 |
| #2 Brandon Moreno vs. #5 Tatsuro Taira | 23-8-2 (11-5-2 UFC) vs. 17-1 (7-1 UFC) | Flyweight | +105 vs. -125 |
| #10 Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott | 16-5 (10-5 UFC) vs. 10-1 (5-1 UFC) | Bantamweight | +105 vs. -250 |
| #5 Jan Blachowicz vs. #11 Bogdan Guskov | 29-11-1 (12-8-1 UFC) vs. 18-3 (4-1 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | -130 vs. +110 |
Prelims
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #13 Grant Dawson vs. Manuel Torres | 23-2-1 (11-1-1 UFC) vs. 16-3 (4-1 UFC) | Lightweight | -230 vs. +190 |
| Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan | 17-7 (7-4 UFC) vs. 14-2 (5-1 UFC) | Lightweight | +100 vs. -120 |
| #5 Maycee Barber vs. #9 Karine Silva | 14-2 (9-2 UFC) vs. 19-5 (5-1 UFC) | W Flyweight | -198 vs. +164 |
| Nazim Sadykhov vs. Fares Ziam | 11-1-1 (4-0-1 UFC) vs. 17-4 (7-2 UFC) | Lightweight | +120 vs. -142 |
Early Prelims
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #14 Marvin Vettori vs. Brunno Ferreira | 19-9-1 (9-7-1 UFC) vs. 14-2 (5-2 UFC) | Middleweight | -118 vs. +100 |
| Edson Barboza vs. Jalin Turner | 24-13 (18-13 UFC) vs. 14-9 (7-6 UFC) | Lightweight | +250 vs. -310 |
| Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan | 6-0 vs. 14-3 (2-2 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | -192 vs. +160 |
| Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli | 8-0-1 (2-0-1 UFC) vs. 12-5 (0-2 UFC) | Middleweight | -1300 vs. +700 |
| Muhammad Naimov vs. Mairon Santos | 13-3 (5-1 UFC) vs. 17-1 (3-0 UFC) | Featherweight | +195 vs. -238 |
