The final UFC pay-per-view of 2025 delivered two new champions who will enter the new year with golden hardware around their waists. petr yan And joshua van seatless merab dvalishvili And alexandre pantojarespectively, and threw their divisions into turmoil.
At men’s bantamweight, it’s hard to see Yan retaining the title belt and not wonder how things might have been different if the moment where he lost it by disqualification never happened in 2021. And at flyweight, a new tough moment resulting in injuries and a changing of the guard could impact that weight class for quite some time.
Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim give their thoughts on how those moments have changed the UFC’s timeline.
What if Yan didn’t hit that knee?
1:59
Petr Yan achieved a stunning victory over Merab Dvalishvili
Petr Yan somehow pulled off a stunning upset by defeating Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 323.
There is an alternate universe where Petr Yan did not exist illegal knee throw against aljamain sterling And is considered the greatest of all time.
That illegal knee, man. I hate to go back and get stuck on that, but this is a career-changing moment. Remember, Yan was actually considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world at the time. He was 15-0. Undefeated. Excellent. He was traveling through Stirling in 2021 when he was disqualified for one of the most serious, unforgivable illegal knees in the history of the game. And he stayed with them for a moment and two years.
He then won the interim belt Corey Sandhagen In his next fight he then lost to Sterling via split decision in 2022 – the fight I scored for Yan at the time. If we’re being honest, it was a little difficult for Yan to get up for that fight. He dominated Sterling in their first meeting. This was a “trap” type of title fight, if there is such a thing. After that, he lost by a split decision. sean o’malley It seems to be taking away his competitive spirit. By the time he fought Merab Dvalishvili in 2023, he was on a 1-3 run and, as he later admitted, injured. And he ran away.
None of this is to make excuses or create a false story, but in my opinion, Yan fell victim to a perfect storm of terrible circumstances – the first of which, to be fair, he killed himself with an illegal knee. But if he never caved and he never lost his momentum in 2021, who’s to say he wouldn’t have made an all-time historic run? His fight against O’Malley would have been five rounds instead of three. He may have never faced Sterling in a rematch, which may have been difficult to prepare for. And he would have fought Dvalishvili for the first time in a different scenario.
Say I am making things up. Good. I stand by this. An illegal knee changed the course of history in the bantamweight division more than we ever knew. Because the fighter I saw on Saturday is a legitimate pound-for-pound talent. — Okamoto
The top of the men’s flyweight division changed in an instant
Tatsuro Taira He was on a rocket ship to the top of the MMA world as he won the first 16 fights of his career, including six UFC victories. but then he lost split decision To Brandon Royval in October 2024 and the men’s flyweight seemed to be disappearing from contention. Taira certainly made his presence felt in a big way with his knockout on Saturday Brandon MorenoA former champion. This will certainly propel the 25-year-old from Japan to the top of the rankings.
However, it’s hard to say how long Taira will have to wait for a title shot, as he suffered a loss to Alexandre Pantoja in his very next fight at UFC 323. Brutal injury seconds into his flyweight title defense And lost the championship to Joshua Van. A loss to Pantoja by any other means would have resulted in an immediate rematch, as he entered the night with more title defenses than any current UFC champion. However, Pantoja may be out for some time due to a shoulder injury. And some of the other top-10 flyweights who lost to Pantoja could suddenly be back in the running to challenge Van.
Taira’s case is perhaps the strongest. Saturday’s win was his sixth finish in the UFC. Perhaps even more impressive: It was the first time Moreno finished in 20 UFC bouts. Pantoja did not do this in his two bouts with Moreno. former champion Deiveson Figueiredo Couldn’t do it in four tries. Taira’s opportunity to ascend to the top spot seems imminent. — Wagenheim
