The ultimate UFC pay-per-view occasion of the ESPN period produced an exhilarating evening of fights at T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas, as two new champions have been topped on the high of the combat card.
UFC 323 Energy Rankings
RDX Sports activities‘ Editor-in-Chief and veteran MMA author Simon Head casts his eye over the primary card winners, and presents his Energy Rankings for UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2.
Petr Yan
Any time a fighter wins a UFC title, it’s an important day. When a former champion rebounds to win again their outdated belt, it’s arguably much more particular. However for Petr Yan, Saturday evening’s win was on a complete different stage.
Yan had misplaced his title to Aljamain Sterling through disqualification, received the interim belt to earn a rematch, then misplaced to Sterling once more. At that time, it felt like he had a mountain to climb to get again to the belt.
However when he was then defeated on the scorecards by each Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili to take his dropping skid to a few, that mountain seemed Everest-sized.
However Yan by no means misplaced his expertise, and after a 12 months away, he returned to reel off three straight victories to defeat Music Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee to earn one other shot on the gold.
Standing in his method was Dvalishvili, who had overwhelmed him so convincingly of their first assembly. However within the rematch, Yan produced the efficiency of his profession as he neutralized the Georgian’s relentless takedown assault, then punished him on the toes with educated boxing.
It was an excellent efficiency, and one of many perfect showings we’ve seen from a title challenger in 2025.
Tatsuro Taira
With a brand new champion topped at 125 kilos (see beneath) and the previous champion more likely to be out of motion for some time, the door is open for a brand new contender to step in and problem for the belt. Tatsuro Taira could be that man.
Taira produced a giant efficiency in his greatest UFC combat up to now as he defeated former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno through second-round TKO. It was a efficiency that proved that the Japanese contender was able to bridge the hole from the chasing pack to the main males on the high of the 125-pound division.
Taira was Octagonside for Joshua Van’s title win within the co-main occasion, and Joe Rogan name-checked the Japanese star throughout Van’s post-fight interview. A bout between the 2 seems to be extremely seemingly, and who is aware of, it’d even are available in Taira’s homeland, with the UFC regarded as contemplating a return to Japan in 2026.
Joshua Van
Profitable a UFC title would often warrant the next spot in an influence rankings listing, however the best way Van captured championship gold was removed from good for the Myanmar-born, Texas-based fighter.
Van’s rise has seen him turn out to be a well-liked presence on the high of the flyweight division, however his win over Alexandra Pantoja got here because of a freak harm, slightly than Van’s MMA excellence. Sadly, it meant that the win that ought to have been an enormous, memorable combat, ended up being an nearly unintended victory.
Pantoja’s arm harm, sustained simply 26 seconds into the combat, meant the champion was unable to proceed as he misplaced through harm TKO. And when one man loses by harm TKO, one other wins by the identical methodology. That man was Van, who celebrated his title win, whatever the method it arrived.
However now, Van must defend his belt, and the aforementioned Taira seems to be to be in pole place to problem him first. It’s seemingly that solely a stellar efficiency from Brandon Royval or Manel Kape on this weekend’s essential occasion will change that plan.
Van is the brand new champion, however I think some followers will need him to win a title combat by extra acceptable means.
Payton Talbott
The principle card bantamweight bout between Henry Cejudo and Payton Talbott was the previous two-division UFC champion’s farewell combat. However, as is so typically the best way in fight sports activities, he didn’t get the prospect to exit with a win.
Payton Talbott leveled up his sport to match, and surpass, a Cejudo who definitely wasn’t on the identical stage that noticed him win the bantamweight and flyweight titles. However it was nonetheless Henry Cejudo, and Talbott didn’t let his respect for the retiring legend get in the best way of the job at hand, as he ran out a decisive winner on the scorecards, as he claimed a shutout victory to enhance his file to 11-1.
That win, coupled with Cejudo’s subsequent retirement, ought to see Talbott break into the UFC’s bantamweight rankings, as a brand new chapter opens up for the Reno native in 2026.
Simon Head is Editor-in-Chief with famend fight sports activities gear firm RDX Sports activities. Try their newest vary of MMA fightwear right this moment.
