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Andreas Hell
Two long-time reigning champions lost their titles in the final UFC PPV of 2025, although the results were quite different. alexandre pantoja faced with severe hand injury in the opening seconds of his fight joshua van Whereas, dropping the men’s flyweight title by technical knockout petr yan got it back Men’s Bantamweight Title Avenging the defeat after five years of his first reign merab dvalishvili,
In addition to both title fights ending with two new champions, UFC 323 featured an absolute barn burner of a light heavyweight fight, featuring future Hall of Famers. sent for retirement A courageous performance and several violent endings follow.
UFC 323 was a wild night of fights with a variety of endings, but where does it stand among the rest this year?
After each pay-per-view, we assess the quality of each fight and fight card based on the skill displayed, competitiveness and what is at stake. Andreas Helle takes a look at all 14 fights from UFC 323 in Las Vegas.
light heavyweight: Ivo Baranievsky versus ibo aslan
Result: Baranievsky defeated Aslan by knockout in the first round
Category: A
The most exciting 90 seconds of UFC action in 2025 comes between these two lightweight giants. Baraniewski and Aslan attacked each other from the beginning of the fight and continued to mow until one of the fighters was finished. Both came close to ending the fight early as they absorbed punishing power shots, but it was Baraniewski who connected with the closing punch, sending Aslan down with a right hand and finishing him with ground-and-pound. An absolutely chaotic and ridiculously funny 90 seconds that you will have to strain your teeth to watch.
Men’s Bantamweight: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan
Result: Yan defeats Dvalishvili via unanimous decision
Category: A-
Yan was absolutely brilliant in using all his equipment become a two-time champion And his fortunes changed after Dvalishvili dominated in their first meeting. Dvalishvili’s decision to defend his title four times in one calendar year will be debated, but it doesn’t take anything away from Yan’s game plan. Yan skillfully thwarted Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts in the first two rounds and employed his pinpoint striking, wearing down the champion and leaving him in a bloody mess by the time the final bell rang. But Dvalishvili never backed down and made every effort to get back into the fight, regaining momentum with trademark carries and slams in Round 3. But Yan was exceptional throughout, regaining the title in an exciting main event match that is well worth your time.
Light Weight: jalin turner versus edson barboza
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Jalin Turner sends Edson Barboza to the mat for the win
Jalin Turner finds himself back in the win column after a historic finish of Edson Barboza at UFC 323.
Result: Turner defeated Barboza by TKO in the first round
Category: A-
Welcome back, Jalin Turner. “The Tarantula” defeated Barboza in a one-sided match in his return match after a short-term retirement. Instead of taking a few moments to feel each other out, Turner took a page from the chaotic Baraniewski-Aslan fight and duked it out with the acclaimed striker as soon as the fight started. It didn’t take long for Turner to defeat Barboza with a three-punch combination that sent the Brazilian to the mat. Turner refused to take his foot off the gas and fired a series of punches at his opponent until Barboza ultimately fell to the canvas, securing Turner’s first victory in two years.
light heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz versus Bogdan Guskov
Result: Blachowicz vs. Guskov ended in a majority draw
Category: B+
Guskov and Blachowicz engaged in an entertaining battle where a draw was an acceptable outcome. Blachowicz dominated the early part of the fight with leg kicks, but the young Guskov turned the fight in his favor by dropping the former champion with a straight right hand and it appeared he was headed for another violent finish. Instead, Blachowicz survived and came back with a furious final round that dropped Guskov with seconds remaining in the fight. As you’ll see, it was as entertaining as a majority tie battle.
Light Weight: terence mckinney versus chris duncan
Result: Duncan defeated McKinney by submission in the first round
Category: B+
If we’ve learned anything about McKinney, it’s that if an opponent can weather McKinney’s early storm, that opponent can win. Duncan was caught in a whirlwind of punches in the opening minutes, but escaped injury by elbowing McKinney. Dawson performed takedowns and ground-and-pound before finishing McKinney with an anaconda choke. Never look away when McKinney fights; You will almost certainly miss the end.
Men’s Bantamweight: henry cejudo versus payton talbot
Result: Talbot defeated Cejudo via unanimous decision.
Category: b
talbot Cejudo sent into retirement In an entertaining scrap that mixed the heart of a former champion with that of a rising star showcasing new wrinkles in his game. Talbot was excellent, knocking out Cejudo in the first round and knocking him out with strikes in round two. But Cejudo had great courage as he continued to fight despite being beaten and bloodied. Cejudo could have checked out at any time, but despite suffering major punishment in the fight he refused to back down.
Middleweight: Mansoor Abdul-Malik versus Antonio Troccoli
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Mansoor Abdul-Malik won by standing guillotine
Mansoor Abdul-Malik opened UFC 323 with an incredible submission of Antonio Troccoli.
Result: Abdul-Malik defeated Troccoli by submission in the first round
Category: b
Abdul-Malik wasted no time in imposing his will and swiftly strangled Troccoli. He set the tone by scoring a takedown in the first 30 seconds. Troccoli made the mistake of leaving his neck open to get to his feet and suffered a tight guillotine choke. Abdul-Malik applied the clamp, and Troccoli had no choice but to tap out after only a minute of action. Completely one-way traffic for Abdul-Malik.
Light Weight: grant dawson versus manuel torres
Result: Torres defeats Dawson by TKO in the first round
Category: b
Torres violently stopped Dawson’s momentum with a left hand in Round 1 of their contest. Just when it seemed Dawson was reaching his potential as a lightweight title challenger, Torres crashed it with a short left uppercut and sealed the victory with a few hammerfists. It was an impressive victory for Torres, who patiently waited for Dawson to attack before launching a left hand that ended the fight.
Men’s flyweight: Brandon Moreno versus Tatsuro Taira
Result: Taira defeated Moreno by TKO in the second round
Category: B-
After an early period where Taira spent most of the round defending a triangle choke attempt, the Japanese wrestler went to work and scored the biggest win of his career by stopping former champion Moreno. Taira fended off Moreno’s attempts to turn this into a spectacular fight with takedowns and quickly tried to take down the former champion. In the blink of an eye, Taira knocked down Moreno and rained down strikes, becoming the first fighter to stop the Mexican star. It was an impressive performance for Taira, who almost certainly captured the flyweight title with an impressive finish.
catch weight: maron santos versus muhammad naimov
Result: Santos defeated Naimov by technical knockout in the third round
Category: C+
After 10 minutes of non-action, Santos woke up the crowd by dropping Naimov to the canvas with a straight straight right hand in the opening seconds of round 3. It certainly made for a slow-paced chess match for the first two rounds. Santos was getting the better of the exchanges, but until Naimov started Round 3 with aggression, it looked like this was going to be a fight headed to the scorecards. That physicality was met with a right hand that knocked the lights out on Naimov.
Women’s flyweight: messy barber versus carin silva
Result: Barber defeats Silva via unanimous decision
Category: C+
This solid fight between Barber and Silva had its fair share of ups and downs. Silva made several submission attempts – ranging from rear-naked choke and heel hook to guillotine – but Barber was resilient and found ways to turn the situation around. In the first round, she changed positions and came out on top, landing big punches inside Silva’s guard. He took down Silva in round 2 by overcoming an illegal upkick and delivering strong ground-and-pound. Barber continues to improve and gets closer to a title shot with each performance.
catch weight: Marvin Vettori versus bruno ferreira
Result: Ferreira defeats Vettori via unanimous decision
Category: C
When two wrestlers finally square off, it’s not always pretty. Ferreira and Vettori spent the first two rounds on the feet and throwing looping shots at each other. Ferreira had the better of those exchanges and landed some big shots on the steel-chinned Vettori. He took some scuffles in the final round but decided to finish the fight standing. It wasn’t a technicality, but Ferreira was dominant enough to earn a victory over a former title contender.
Light Weight: Fares Ziam versus nazim sadikhov
Result: Ziam defeats Sadikhov by TKO in the second round
Category: C
As the crowd was becoming restless and filling the arena with noise, Xiamen suddenly ended the fight at the buzzer of Round 2. Ziam dominated from the start with its scrambles, but it was a very slow-paced affair that sapped the energy from T-Mobile Arena. The fight was heading towards a one-sided grappling victory by Ziam, until the Frenchman landed a short elbow in the clinch, causing Sadikhov to fall. Sadikhov was credited with a total of seven strikes, which tells you everything you need to know about the fight.
Men’s Flyweight: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van
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Joshua Van wins after Alexandre Pantoja breaks hand
After champion Alexander Pantoja breaks his hand, the co-main event is stopped and Joshua Van is the champion.
Result: Van defeated Pantoja by technical knockout in the first round
Category: incomplete
Unless you want to see Pantoja’s gruesome injury, there’s no reason to watch. 26 second fight between van and pantojaThe end came before either fighter could move forward as Pantoja landed awkwardly on his arm while trying to defend a takedown attempt from Van, An unfortunate ending where the fight would not be given any grade,
UFC 323 fight card grade: B+
Aside from the unfortunate ending to the men’s flyweight title fight, UFC 323 was a rare event without a fight worth watching. Nothing was obviously bad, and we were treated to an exciting championship tilt between Yan and Dvalishvili, Baranievsky and Aslan, with 90 seconds of mayhem and a good portion of finishes that really entertained. The last PPV of 2025 ends up being one of the best events of the year.
