UFC 323: Yan’s Redemption, Pantoja’s Heartbreak, and a Night of Chaos
Sometimes there’s No Mercy to historical ambitions.
The goal was inspired. Merab Dvalishvili wanted to become the first UFC champion to defend his title four times in a single year. It would be shortsighted to think the accumulation of such a packed schedule didn’t play some role in Dvalishvili looking a step off his usual form.
But that also risks discrediting a masterful game plan from Petr Yan. The Russian poured all his energy into stifling the Georgian’s takedowns and committed to consistent bodywork that made “The Machine’s” otherworldly cardio look human. His strategic, accurate counterpunching weaved beautifully between Dvalishvili’s aggressive combinations. Yan even turned the tides in the wrestling, taking Dvalishvili down twice. Most impressively, Yan beat Dvalishvili in his own style of fight.
Almost six years after a miscue caused the m title to slip through his fingers, Petr Yan is once again the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion. A trilogy fight between the two feels almost assured.
The UFC also has a new flyweight champion — and the title change came in shocking fashion. Alexandre Pantoja opened aggressively, but Joshua Van caught a high kick and dumped him to the mat. Pantoja braced his fall with his arms and suffered an immediate left-arm injury, ending the fight in just 26 seconds.
It’s tempting to call it a freak accident, but in a sport where limbs and bodies whip through space with violent intentions, destruction happens fast. Depending on the severity of Pantoja’s injury, the division could be headed either toward an automatic rematch or a fresh matchup.
The flyweight division also has a new contender pounding on the door of a title shot. Tatsuro Taira tripped Brandon Moreno to the canvas, took the former champion’s back, flattened him out, and tenderized him until the referee stepped in. A clear and symbolic passing of the torch.
Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo made the walk for the final time. In the first round he was pummeled with big shots that made it feel like Payton Talbott was moments away from a finish. But Cejudo’s trademark heart kept him upright. He gutted it out to the final bell despite several crippling body shots. Still, the night — and a dominant decision — went to rising contender Payton Talbott.
Hard-hitting light heavyweights Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov put on a gritty affair that wasn’t settled after 15 minutes. The former champion started strong, setting the tone early. Guskov seized control in the second, dropping Blachowicz with a right hand and opening him up with elbows. But Blachowicz unleashed his Polish power in the third, scoring a knockdown in the final minute to win one card and salvage a draw on the other two.
Manuel Torres presumably breaks into the rankings with his first-round knockout of No. 14–ranked Grant Dawson. A left uppercut — the final blow in a sharp four-punch combination — sat Dawson down for the 16th first-round KO of Torres’ career.
Chaos reigned when Terrance McKinney and Chris Duncan opened up on each other. Duncan weathered the early storm, pinned McKinney on the fence, and drilled him with a crushing right elbow that dropped him. The Scotsman followed up with an anaconda choke to extend his win streak to four.
Maycee Barber overcame an illegal upkick and out-grappled Karine Silva for her first win after a year and a half of medical setbacks. She holds onto her No. 5 spot in the flyweight rankings and now has six straight wins as she makes her case for a title shot.
France’s Fares Ziam rattled off his sixth straight win, stopping Nazim Sadykhov at the end of round two. Ziam controlled much of the bout from the clinch, took Sadykhov’s back in the first, and then dropped him with two brick-breaking right elbows from the clinch position.
Brunno Ferreira battled back from a rough first round, pushing forward behind explosive power shots that kept Marvin Vettori off balance and busted up his nose. “The Hulk” scored the biggest win of his career with a unanimous decision over the No. 14-ranked middleweight. It remains to be seen whether the rankings panel penalizes Ferreira for missing weight by three pounds.
After nine months of soul-searching, Jalin Turner returned to the octagon looking like the killer “Tarantula” we’ve seen at his best. Turner carved up Edson Barboza with elbows and dropped the Brazilian knockout artist three times en route to a stoppage win.
Iwo Baraniewski made a successful UFC debut in 89 seconds of chaos that Joe Rogan likened to a bar fight. Baraniewski and Ibo Aldana traded hooks in the pocket like Rock ’Em Sock ’Em robots. Both men showed huge heart getting up off the mat. Baraniewski closed the show with ground-and-pound right hands after scoring a second knockdown.
Mansur Abdul-Malik bulldozed through Antonio Trocoli, landed in mount, then wrapped up Trocoli’s neck during the scramble and forced a tap with a standing guillotine.
Mairon Santos showed no ill effects from missing weight by a pound and a half in the card’s opening fight. The Brazilian’s power carried into the third round, where a tight sledgehammer overhand right crumbled Muhammad Naimov.
About The Author
