Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili lost his title in the main event of UFC 323 this past weekend (Sat., Dec. 6, 2025), dropping a dominant unanimous decision to rival Petr Yan inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (watch highlights).
Immediately after the loss, Dvalishvili asked for an immediate rematch — which would complete their trilogy — and while he’s absolutely deserving, there were questions. Other contenders are waiting, and Dvalishvili hasn’t exactly been UFC CEO Dana White’s favorite fighter to deal with … for his out-of-the-cage antics.
Turns out, there’s nothing to worry about. He’s getting the trilogy next.
“The UFC contacted me and said, ‘Please rest as long as you want, your next fight is a rematch with Petr Yan for the belt. Rest as long as you want and call us when you’re ready,’” Dvalishvili said via MMA Pros Pick. “They probably want to do this fight in the summer but I don’t want to wait until the summer. I’ll repeat this once again, I didn’t get any serious injuries from this fight. Anyway, I want to schedule this fight early — maybe in the spring. April would be good, or summer if needed.”
Now, while Dvalishvili wants to jump right back in (because of course he does), he’s ultimately on Yan’s timeline — and who knows how long the new champion wants to parade around with that belt. He’ll need recovery time as well, and a trilogy of this magnitude isn’t something UFC slaps together overnight.
April might be a bit ambitious for the rubber match, but May or June seems like the realistic landing spot.
Regardless, the stakes are massive: the pair are 1-1, with Dvalishvili dominating the first fight and Yan returning the favor in the second with a decisive victory of his own. The trilogy bout is not only deserved — it’s inevitable.
