Merab Dvalishvili is attempting to become the first fighter in UFC history to successfully defend his title four times in a single calendar year. Dvalishvili is facing Petr Yan for the second time at UFC 323, with Dvalishvili winning their first fight in March 2023. Since their first fight, Yan has gone 3-0, with Dvalishvili going 5-0 with four title victories.
Here is my preview and best bet for the Main Event of UFC 323 between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan.
Merab Dvalishvili -9.5 (-115)
The first matchup between Dvalishvili and Yan was one-sided. Dvalishvili beat Yan 50-45 on all three judges’ scorecards and outlanded Yan 147-75 in significant strikes. Also, Dvalishvili landed 11 of 49 takedown attempts while totaling 6:53 of control time.
Dvalishvili has won 14 consecutive fights, the third-longest winning streak in UFC history. If Dvalishvili wins this fight, he would tie Kamaru Usman (15) for the second-longest streak in promotion history. Dvalishvili would also tie his friend Aljamain Sterling for the most wins (14) in UFC Bantamweight history. A victory at UFC 323 would tie Dvalishvili with TJ Dillashaw for the most title wins (5) in Bantamweight history in the UFC.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the champion is a -410 favorite with Yan being a +320 underdog. This fight has an over/under of 4.5 rounds with the over being -330. Dvalishvili is also -200 to win this contest by decision.
Since Dvalishvili is such a big favorite, I’m taking him -9.5 at -115. Dvalishvili has won 12 of his 14 fights on his current winning streak by decision. He is also coming off a dominant performance against Cory Sandhagen, winning 49-46, 49-45, and 49-45. Dvalishvili is familiar with Yan’s skills and game plan, which should result in another masterclass by the champion.
