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Tag: UFC 323

  • Maycee Barber No Longer Feels Safe With Referee Mark Smith

    Maycee Barber No Longer Feels Safe With Referee Mark Smith

    UFC flyweight Maycee Barber has gone public with strong criticism of referee Mark Smith following her controversial victory over Karina Silva at UFC 323, declaring she no longer feels safe with him officiating her fights.

    During the bout, Silva landed an illegal upkick while Barber had grounded knees. Despite the apparent foul, Smith assessed it as “not a hard blow” and issued no point deduction. Barber revealed the true impact of the strike in a post-fight interview with MMA Fighting.

    “As soon as she hit me, I just remember my face and my neck feeling like I hit my funny bone. And I was like, everything’s tingly,” Barber explained, adding that upon reviewing footage she was visibly wobbled by the illegal strike.

    Barber’s criticism of Smith was direct and unfiltered: “From my perspective now, I’m like, to me, I’m like, I don’t want him reffing my fights at all. I don’t feel safe in there with him anymore. I don’t feel like he’s a fair, a very fair ref.”

    The 27-year-old also raised concerns about the disparity between fighters and officials when it comes to consequences for poor performance.

    “He can have a bad day at work, but he’s going to get paid regardless. So, it kind of sucks that we have us athletes that have to go in and have people that can have off days and still get paid and risk our jobs,” Barber stated.

    Adding to the officiating controversy, Barber revealed a timer malfunction during Round 2 that her coach brought to her attention post-fight.

    “The guy that was in control of the timer, he forgot to hit the timer. So there was a spot where there was like 10 seconds at the end of the round where the triangle shouldn’t have even happened,” she explained.

    Smith’s officiating at UFC 323 drew widespread criticism, with fans and fighters calling his performance “dreadful” after a questionable stoppage in the Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira bout earlier on the card.

    Despite the controversies, Barber secured the unanimous decision victory in her first fight in 21 months and is already targeting a quick turnaround.

  • ‘Masterclass’ – Fighters And Fans Jawdrop, Extol Petr Yan As He Dominates Merab Dvalishvili To Become Two-Time UFC Bantamweight Champion At UFC 323

    ‘Masterclass’ – Fighters And Fans Jawdrop, Extol Petr Yan As He Dominates Merab Dvalishvili To Become Two-Time UFC Bantamweight Champion At UFC 323

    Merab Dvalishvili looked to make more history, and it ended up biting him in the backside. Petr Yan put on a star performance unlike anyone ever has against Dvalishvili, winning on the scorecards and becoming a two-time UFC bantamweight champion in the main event of UFC 323.

    Yan looked to bring the fight to Dvalishvili from the beginning, and it seemed to work. Yan’s pressure allowed him to go toe-to-toe with anything Dvalishvili threw at him in the first and preventing any successful takedowns from the defending champ in the first. Yan added in a strong right hand that busted Dvalishvili open.

    Yan continued to find success in the second round with his jab. He even scored a takedown on Dvalishvili, which resulted in an impressive scrambling trade between the two men. Even as Dvalishvili looked for takedowns late in the round, while adding in jabs, Yan continued to defend.

    Yan looked to bring the pressure again and tie Dvalishvili up, scoring a takedown. Then, Dvalishvili picked up Yan as he did Cejudo before slamming Yan to the mat. Yan got up quickly, though he was the victim of another quick mat return. Yan, however, managed to hurt Dvalishvili again, busting him open again and rocking him with a body kick.

    Dvalishvili threatened a guillotine choke early in the fourth round, but Yan was able to work his way out of the submission. Yan continued to show off takedown defense against Dvalishvili’s consistent takedown efforts, and Yan continued to damage him with his punching. Yan continued to hurt Dvalishvili with body shots

    Yan’s striking continued to find its mark in the fifth round, locking up the scorecards and the bantamweight gold for Yan.

    Petr Yan Regains Bantamweight Title With Upset Of Merab Dvalishvili At UFC 323

    This was a rematch from their UFC Las Vegas main event in March 2023, which Dvalishvili won via decision.

    Since then, Yan had won three straight to earn the rematch and title shot tonight, defeating Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee.

    Yan became bantamweight champion the first time by finishing Jose Aldo at UFC 251. He then lost the championship via DQ to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259. He’d defeat Cory Sandhagen for interim gold at UFC 267 but lost an undisputed championship rematch with Sterling at UFC 273.

    Dvalishvili tastes defeat for the first time since dropping his first two UFC bouts in 2017-18. He originally won the title by defeating Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC 2: UFC 306. He had retained the title against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, O’Malley at UFC 316, and Sandhagen at UFC 320.

  • ‘Absolutely Sickening’ – Fighters & Fans Left In Shock As Alexandre Pantoja Arm Injury Leads To Joshua Van Becoming Flyweight Champion At UFC 323

    ‘Absolutely Sickening’ – Fighters & Fans Left In Shock As Alexandre Pantoja Arm Injury Leads To Joshua Van Becoming Flyweight Champion At UFC 323

    In one of the most shocking moments in UFC title history, Alexadre Pantoja suffers a broken arm in less than 30 seconds, making Joshua Van the new UFC flyweight champion in the co-main event of UFC 323.

    Pantoja came out with his traditional aggressive style, trying to bring the striking pressure to Van. Van would catch a kick and dump Pantoja to the floor — and that was the moment the fight ended.

    Pantoja landed on his arm when being pushed down to the mat, resulting in what appeared to be a nasty break to end the title fight.

    Joshua Van Claims Flyweight Title At UFC 323 After Alexandre Pantoja Breaks Arm

    Van is 9-1 in the Octagon, and this marked his sixth straight win. This completes an epic 2025 for Van after a decision win over Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313, a finish of Bruno Silva at UFC 316, and a Fight of the Year with Brandon Royval at UFC 317.

    Pantoja’s title reign began at UFC 290, defeating Brandon Moreno. He defended the title four times, defeating Royval at UFC 296, Steve Erceg at UFC 301, Kai Asakura at UFC 310, and Kai Kara-France at UFC 317.

  • ‘Dreadful’ – Fight Fans Slam Referee Mark Smith Following Tatsuro Taira TKO Win Over Brandon Moreno At UFC 323

    ‘Dreadful’ – Fight Fans Slam Referee Mark Smith Following Tatsuro Taira TKO Win Over Brandon Moreno At UFC 323

    Despite yet another referee controversy, Tatsuro Taira may have positioned himself to finally get a crack at flyweight gold, becoming the first man to finish former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 323.

    Moreno was in control for most of the first round, executing a tight triangle on Taira for what felt like the longest time — in spite of Taira looking to take the fight to the ground. He appeared to have a fully locked-in triangle armbar and triangle choke, but Taira defended and was able to slip out of the hold in the closing seconds.

    Taira used his speed to slip away from Moreno’s strikes in the second round. He then was able to score a takedown, and this time it was him who was troubling the former champ.

    Taira flattened out Moreno and rained down blows. As Moreno appeared to be building his base, however, referee Mark Smith waved off the fight, giving Taira the win in a key flyweight battle.

    Tatsuro Taira Finishes Brandon Moreno At UFC 323

    Taira has now won back-to-back fights after his first professional MMA loss, coming against Brandon Royval. He is 8-1 since arriving in the UFC in 2022.

    Moreno has lost three of five now, stretching back to him losing the flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290.

  • ‘Leaving The Sport As One Of The Greatest Of All Time’ – Fighters & Fans Pay Respects To Henry Cejudo Following Loss To Payton Talbott In Retirement Fight At UFC 323

    ‘Leaving The Sport As One Of The Greatest Of All Time’ – Fighters & Fans Pay Respects To Henry Cejudo Following Loss To Payton Talbott In Retirement Fight At UFC 323

    Henry Cejudo’s four-fight second UFC run will end winless, as Payton Talbott managed to take a victory in Cejudo’s swan song at UFC 323.

    Talbott managed to get the better of Cejudo in the first round, connecting on the more effective strikes while taking advantage of an aggressive Cejudo. Talbott even scored a pair of takedowns on Cejudo during the opening frame.

    The former champion was clipped early in the second round, getting knocked down. Cejudo, however, swept for a reversal and got into top position. Talbott got back to his feet with about 90 seconds left in the round, throwing a flurry that included body shots that impacted Cejudo. Cejudo fought back with a wild flurry of his own, even though he was briefly dropped.

    While Cejudo got top control again in the third, Talbott continued to fight his fight and land more shots to the body, going on to claim the unanimous decision win.

    Payton Talbott Retires Henry Cejudo, Scores Decision Win At UFC 323

    Talbott not only gets the biggest win of his career, but he’s now won two straight since suffering his first career loss at UFC 311 earlier this year.

    Cejudo, who debuted in MMA in 2013, made his UFC debut in December 2014, going on to be a key figure in the UFC’s flyweight division. After unsuccessfully challenging Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197 for the flyweight title, Cejudo defeated “Mighty Mouse” in their UFC 227 rematch.

    Cejudo then claimed the bantamweight championship at UFC 238 to become the UFC’s fourth champ-champ. He’d initially retire after retaining the bantamweight title over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 but unretired in 2023, going 0-4, including tonight’s loss to Talbott, as well as an unsuccessful, controversial bantamweight title fight with Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288.

  • ‘Just Fumbled That Win’ – Fighters & Fans Debate Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov Scorecards As UFC 323 Bout Ruled A Majority Draw

    ‘Just Fumbled That Win’ – Fighters & Fans Debate Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov Scorecards As UFC 323 Bout Ruled A Majority Draw

    Jan Blachowicz looked to show he can still be considered a top light heavyweight in the world, while Bogdan Guskov looked for his biggest win. Instead, their fight that opened the UFC 323 pay-per-view card ended in a draw.

    The first round was a fairly quiet one, with the most notable part being the number of leg kicks Blachowicz was landing on Guskov.

    Blachowicz looked to continue to work leg kicks, along with his jab, in the second. But Guskov answered with a right hand that dropped Blachowicz, with Guskov doing more damage with ground-and-pound from top position.

    Despite a leg lock attempt from Blachowicz, Guskov continued to hunt for the finish, busting Blachowicz open in the process. The third round, however, saw Blachowicz show off some of his power on the feet once again. He snapped Guskov’s head back a couple of times, coming forward with pressure. Blachowicz ended the fight with a flurry that briefly dropped Guskov.

    Despite Blachowicz’s strong performance, two judges scored the second round 10-8 in Guskov’s favor, ending the fight with a majority draw.

    Jan Blachowicz And Bogdan Guskov Battle To A Draw At UFC 323

    Blachowicz’s sole win since dropping the UFC light heavyweight title came against Aleksandar Rakic in May 2022. Since that fight, Blachowicz is 0-2-2.

    Guskov is now 4-1-1 in the UFC, having not tasted defeat since dropping his UFC debut against Volkan Oezdemir.

  • VIDEO: Manuel Torres Puts Out Grant Dawson’s Lights At UFC 323

    VIDEO: Manuel Torres Puts Out Grant Dawson’s Lights At UFC 323

    Manuel Torres is known for the power he could bring out in a flash, and that’s what happened in his victory over Grant Dawson in the featured UFC 323 prelim bout.

    Dawson came out with strong kicks to start, as well as aggressively looking for a takedown. Torres fended those efforts off, however, and worked Dawson’s body over.

    Dawson overextended on one of his punches, and Torres made him pay with a counter that dropped him to the mat, bringing the fight to a halt quickly.

    Manuel Torres KOs Grant Dawson At UFC 323

    Torres is now 5-1 in the UFC since arriving from Dana White’s Contender Series.

    Dawson sees a three-fight win streak snapped with this defeat. He is still 6-2 in his last eight.

  • ‘Car Crash’ – Fans Praise Chris Duncan’s Victory In Wild Comeback Over Terrance McKinney At UFC 323

    ‘Car Crash’ – Fans Praise Chris Duncan’s Victory In Wild Comeback Over Terrance McKinney At UFC 323

    Despite finding himself in trouble seconds into the fight, Chris Duncan weathered the storm from Terrance McKinney and managed to score a first-round finish at UFC 323.

    McKinney landed a high kick that appeared to rock Duncan at the very beginning of the fight. McKinney followed with a couple of flurries that put Duncan down and in trouble, with the fight looking mere seconds away from being stopped.

    Duncan, however, managed to get back to his feet and fight fire with fire, bringing the bout to a back-and-forth encounter. Duncan would wobble McKinney with a brutal elbow, quickly putting a fatigued McKinney to the mat.

    After a lot of ground shots, Duncan locked up an Anaconda choke, scoring the submission win.

    Chris Duncan Submits Terrance McKinney At UFC 323

    Duncan has now won four straight and is 6-1 in the Octagon since arriving off a Dana White’s Contender Series performance.

    McKinney is now 4-2 in his last six fights.

  • ‘Makes Lightweight That Much Better’ – Fans React As Jalin Turner Blitzes And Finishes Edson Barboza At UFC 323

    ‘Makes Lightweight That Much Better’ – Fans React As Jalin Turner Blitzes And Finishes Edson Barboza At UFC 323

    Nine months after saying he was done with the Octagon, Jalin Turner has come back in a big way, scoring a first-round finish of Edson Barboza at UFC 323.

    Turner and Barboza did plenty of combination trading to start before Turner busted him opponent with an elbow. Turner would quickly drop Barboza and rain down some heavy ground-and-pound.

    Barboza made his way back to his feet, but Turner did not let up on the pressure. Another flurry of shots saw Turner draw Barboza again, this time forcing Herb Dean to wave off the action.

    Jalin Turner Stops Edson Barboza In One Round At UFC 323

    Turner seemingly retired from the UFC following his loss to Ignacio Bahamondies at UFC 313 in March. That marked Turner’s fourth loss in five fights.

    Barboza has now lost three straight, having also lost to Lerone Murphy and Drakkar Klose on his current skid.

  • VIDEO: Iwo Baraniewski Knocks Out Ibo Aslan In Short But Wild Brawl During UFC 323 Prelims

    VIDEO: Iwo Baraniewski Knocks Out Ibo Aslan In Short But Wild Brawl During UFC 323 Prelims

    Prelims, short fight, and UFC’s last pay-per-view event on ESPN be damned — Iwo Baraniewski and Ibo Aslan delivered in a big way during their prelim at UFC 323, delivering a short but epic banger.

    For about 90 seconds, the two had quite the slugfest where each felt the other man’s power. Both men traded flurries, with Baraniewski initially dropping Aslan before Aslan rocked him near the fence.

    Aslan tried to bully Baraniewski, but Baraniewski made him pay with a right hand that put him out cold to finish the fight.

    Iwo Baraniewski KOs Ibo Aslan In Dramatic Back-And-Forth Battle At UFC 323

    This marked Baraniewski’s debut in the Octagon following his 20-second knockout of Mahamed Aly during his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in September. He is 7-0 in professional MMA.

    After winning two straight in the UFC following his own DWCS appearance, Aslan has now dropped three in a row.

  • VIDEO: Mansur Abdul-Malik Gets Standing Guillotine In Just Over One Minute At UFC 323

    VIDEO: Mansur Abdul-Malik Gets Standing Guillotine In Just Over One Minute At UFC 323

    Mansur Abdul-Malik continues to be a rising force in the middleweight rankings, putting on a statement of a performance in a first-round finish of Antonio Trocoli during the UFC 323 prelims.

    After flashing his striking power, Abdul-Malik delivered a big takedown, forcing Trocoli to his back. Trocoli was able to get back to his feet, but Adbul-Malik caught him in a guillotine choke.

    Abdul-Malik scored the tapout in just 69 seconds.

    Mansur-Abdul Malik Submits Antonio Trocoli Quickly At UFC 323

    Just three of Abdul-Malik’s fights have gone past the first round. The unbeaten Abdul-Malik earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024. Prior to tonight, his UFC run has seen him finish Dusko Todorovic and Nick Klein before a no contest with Cody Brundage at UFC Atlanta earlier this year.

    Trocoli is now 0-3 since joining the UFC.

  • UFC 323 Results & Highlights: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan (6PM ET)

    UFC 323 takes place tonight from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!

    In the main event, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defends his title against former champion Petr Yan. While in the co-main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja puts his belt on the line against Joshua Van.

    Elsewhere on the main card, Brandon Moreno faces Tatsuro Taira in a flyweight matchup; Henry Cejudo meets Payton Talbott in a bantamweight clash; and Jan Błachowicz takes on Bogdan Guskov at light heavyweight.

    Catch all the UFC 323 results and highlights as they happen below!

    Main Card: 10PM ET, PPV

    • Bantamweight title: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan
    • Flyweight title: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van
    • Flyweight: Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira
    • Bantamweight: Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott
    • Light Heavyweight: Jan Błachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov

    Preliminary Card: 8PM ET, ESPNews/FX/ESPN

    • Lightweight: Grant Dawson vs. Manuel Torres
    • Lightweight: Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan
    • Women’s Flyweight: Maycee Barber vs. Karine Silva
    • Lightweight: Nazim Sadykhov vs. Farés Ziam

    Early Preliminary Card: 6PM ET, (ESPN+/Disney+/FX

    • Catchweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Brunno Ferreira
    • Lightweight: Edson Barboza vs. Jalin Turner
    • Light Heavyweight: Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan
    • Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli
    • Catchweight: Muhammad Naimov vs. Mairon Santos
  • What’s Next After UFC 322? Full Confirmed UFC 323 Main Card For Las Vegas On December 6

    What’s Next After UFC 322? Full Confirmed UFC 323 Main Card For Las Vegas On December 6

    UFC 322 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering, UFC 323 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    The promotion was in New York City last week, where Madison Square Garden played host to a number of intriguing matchups for its 12th numbered event of the year. Of note were headline wins for Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko, as well as important victories for Michael Morales, Carlos Prates, and Benoit Saint-Denis.

    While the aftermath of the November 15 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the welterweight and women’s flyweight title pictures to the bantamweight and flyweight championship conversations.

    At UFC 323, which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 6, Merab Dvalishvili will defend the UFC bantamweight championship against Petr Yan.

    This will be a rematch of their first encounter in March 2023, which Dvalishvili won by decision. Since then, Dvalishvili defeated Henry Cejudo before besting Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC 2: UFC 306 to capture the bantamweight title. He’s made successful title defenses against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, O’Malley at UFC 316, and Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320. A win at UFC 323 would make Dvalishvili the first champion in UFC history to defend the title successfully four times in one calendar year.

    Since the loss to Dvalishvili, Yan has won three straight, picking up wins over Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee.

    Stakes will also be high in the co-main event, as Alexandre Pantoja defends the UFC flyweight championship against Joshua Van. Pantoja won the championship by defeating Brandon Moreno at UFC 290, and he has since successfully defended against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France. Van has won five straight and is 8-1 in the Octagon. His 2025 has seen him earn a decision over Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313, score a highlight finish of Bruno Silva at UFC 316, and earn an upset over then No. 1-ranked Royval in a highlight fight at UFC 317.

    Moreno, Cejudo, Blachowicz Set The Stage For Bantamweight Title Headliner At UFC 323

    Before Dvalishvili and Pantoja make their way out to defend their titles, several names will look to make their own statements on the main card for UFC 323.

    This includes the aforementioned Moreno, who will be doing with Tatsuro Taira. After dropping the flyweight title to Pantoja, Moreno lost a close split decision to Brandon Royval, but he has since rebounded with wins over Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg. Taira also tasted defeat via split decision to Royval, which marked the first loss of Taira’s MMA career. He rebounded, however, with a submission of Hyun-sung Park in August.

    Henry Cejudo will also be featured on this card, as he takes on Payton Talbott. Though he’s a former simultaneous champion at flyweight and bantamweight, Cejudo has lost all three fights he’s had since coming out of retirement. This includes a technical decision loss to Song Yadong this past February. The highly-touted Talbott rebounded from his first professional loss with a decision win over Felipe Lima at UFC 317.

    The main card is scheduled to open with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz taking on Bogdan Guskov. Blachowicz is 1-3-1 since dropping the light heavyweight title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267. After just under two years away, Blachowicz returned this past March, dropping a decision to Carlos Ulberg. Guskov has won four straight since dropping his UFC debut, most recently knocking out Nikita Krylov at UFC Abu Dhabi in July.

    Those pairings have currently gotten the nod to feature on the main card over the likes of Marvin Vettori, Maycee Barber, and Edson Barboza, all of whom are expected to be featured players on the event’s preliminary card.

    See below for the UFC 323 lineup, as it stands.

    Main Card:

    • Bantamweight Championship: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan
    • Flyweight Championship: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van
    • Flyweight: Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira
    • Bantamweight: Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott
    • Light Heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov

    Preliminary Card (Order TBA):

    • Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov vs. Mairon Santos
    • Middleweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Brunno Ferreira
    • Women’s Flyweight: Maycee Barber vs. Karine Silva
    • Lightweight: Edson Barboza vs. Jalin Turner
    • Light Heavyweight: Iwo Baraniewski vs. İbo Aslan
    • Lightweight: Grant Dawson vs. Manuel Torres
    • Lightweight: Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan
    • Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli
    • Lightweight: Nazim Sadykhov vs. Fares Ziam
  • Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan, Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van To Headline UFC 323 On December 6

    Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan, Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van To Headline UFC 323 On December 6

    The UFC will close out it’s 2025 pay-per-view schedule, as well as its era of ESPN+ pay-per-views, with UFC 323, which will take place on December 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and feature two title fights.

    In the main event, Merab Dvalishvili will get his wish — an opportunity to become the first UFC champion to successfully defend his title four times in a calendar year. To accomplish this, he will need to get through former champion Petr Yan.

    Dvalishvili and Yan previously met in the main event of UFC Las Vegas in March 2024, with Dvalishvili picking up a unanimous decision win.

    Since then, Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title at Noche UFC 2: UFC 306, and he has successfully retained the gold against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, O’Malley at UFC 316, and, recently, Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.

    Yan has won three straight, scoring decisions over Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee. Yan won the bantamweight title with a finish of Jose Aldo at UFC 251 but lost the title on an infamous disqualification loss to Aljamain Sterling. He’d win the interim title by defeating Sandhagen but lost an undisputed title rematch with Sterling.

    UFC 323 To Be Headlined By Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan, Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van

    As spoiled days ago at UFC Rio, the flyweight title will be on the line in the co-main event, as Alexandre Pantoja defends against Joshua Van.

    Since winning the flyweight title from Brandon Moreno at UFC 290, Pantoja has retained the gold against Brandon Royval at UFC 296, Steve Erceg at UFC 301, Kai Asakura at UFC 310, and Kai Kara-France at UFC 317. Van, who is 8-1 since joining the UFC, has had a major climb up the UFC’s flyweight ranks in 2025. Van defeated Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313, finished Bruno Silva at UFC 316, and won a short-notice war with Royval at UFC 317 to earn the title shot.

    UFC 323 will also feature Moreno in action against Tatsuro Taira, in a bout that could have implications on the challenger of the Pantoja vs. Van winner.

    UFC 323 will also see former flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo in action against Payton Talbott and former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz taking on Bogdan Guskov.

    All of the announced fights for UFC 323 so far can be found below:

    • Bantamweight Championship: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan
    • Flyweight Championship: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van
    • Flyweight: Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira
    • Bantamweight: Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott
    • Light Heavyweight: Jan Błachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
    • Middleweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Brunno Ferreira
    • Women’s Flyweight: Maycee Barber vs. Karine Silva
    • Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli
    • Lightweight: Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan
    • Lightweight: Fares Ziam vs. Nazim Sadykhov
  • UFC Rio Fighter Seems To Leak Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van Flyweight Title Fight Confirmation For UFC 323

    UFC Rio Fighter Seems To Leak Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van Flyweight Title Fight Confirmation For UFC 323

    A fight that has long been rumored for UFC 323 appears to now have been confirmed, leaked by, of all people, a fighter who competed on the UFC Rio card.

    During his post-fight interview, Michael Aswell Jr. advocated to compete next on UFC 323, which was recently confirmed for December 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Aswell cited a desire to compete on the same card as his teammate, Joshua Van. And that was when Aswell said Van would be challenging Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight championship on the card.

    Van has been pegged as the next title challenger after his short-notice victory over former title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in June, and the fight had been rumored to take place in December.

    Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van For Flyweight Title Now Confirmed For UFC 323?

    Van is 15-2 in MMA, including a 8-1 record. Since his knockout loss to Charles Johnson, Van has won five straight, which includes a finish of Bruno Silva at UFC 316, just four weeks before his win over Royval.

    This fight would mark Pantoja’s fifth flyweight title defense attempt. Pantoja, who has won eight straight, defeated Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 for the title. Since then, he’s defended the belt against Royval at UFC 296, Steve Erceg at UFC 301, Kai Asakura at UFC 310, and Kai Kara-France at UFC 317.

    Aswell, meanwhile, made quick work of Lucas Almeida in the featured prelim of UFC Rio.

    UFC 323 will mark the last pay-per-view event of the UFC’s ESPN era, with the final Fight Night card happening the next week.