LAS VEGAS – Dana White was pleased with how things played out in the UFC 323 main event.
A bantamweight title fight headlined the card, which took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, with Merab Dvalishvili defending his belt in a rematch against Petr Yan. In the end, Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) lost a hard-fought unanimous decision against Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC), but they both put on one of the best championship fights in the history of the weight class.
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White gave Dvalishvili his props of his impressive title reign, while also congratulating the new champ.
“We were doing ‘Lookin’ for a Fight’ (in 2017), and we were in Jersey, and Merab was the main event of that fight, and we ended up signing him,” White said speaking at the UFC 323 post-fight press conference. “Matt Serra literally told me that night, ‘This guy is gonna be your world champion, and he’s a special fighter.’ Matt Serra was absolutely right. One of the toughest fighters that I’ve ever come across. And let’s just say: Merab and I didn’t get off on the right foot early on. I have nothing but respect for him and everything he’s accomplished. For Petr to come in and do what he did tonight … it was an incredibly high-level fight. What a hell of a way to end the ESPN era.”
Dvalishvili held a 2023 unanimous decision over Yan prior to their second meeting. Now that the score is even, the Georgian fighter called for a trilogy bout. Although it might make sense on paper given their history and Dvalishvili’s dominance through his championsip run, White didn’t assure of an immediate third fight between the two.
“You know the answer to this question: I’m not thinking about anything tonight other than tonight was a great night of fights, and yeah, I don’t know,” White said.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White praises Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili rematch at UFC 323
