Petr Yan finally has the answer to solve the Machine’s pace with elite footwork, counters and takedown defense.

Their first fight? Merab first introduced his relentless cardio tank to the world, left Yan a bloody face with 50-45 in all three scorecards.

The rematch? Everyone expect another 50-45 for Merab. Instead, we have 49-46, 49-46, 48-47, but this time, it’s for Yan. And also the bloody face for the Machine.

This one was like a tactical chess match — violent, technical, and packed with adjustments from both sides. Merab brought his trademark pace and chain-wrestling. Yan brought the sharpest boxing in the division and a defensive wrestling game that aged like Dagestani wine.

This is the full 5-round breakdown, and you’ll see how Yan successfully solved Merab.

Please note that the score for each round is from author’s personal opinion, not official score of the match.

ROUND 1️⃣ — Yan’s Sharp Start vs Merab’s Striking Entries

Yan wastes zero time. He steps forward instantly, cutting the cage like a man who refuses to spend even one second backing up. Switching stances, snapping the jab, keeping that tight guard — he establishes center control immediately.

Merab answers with chaos, as always. He swings big, he threatens takedowns, he bulldozes forward with Chandler-energy. The problem?
He’s trying to beat Yan in boxing range — Yan’s most comfortable domain.

Yan’s jab becomes a shield. He posts the lead hand constantly to block Merab’s vision and mess with timing. Every time Merab loads that predictable feint → big overhand, Yan either slips, blocks, or counters. He even lands a beautiful 1–2 at 2:22 that snaps Merab’s head back and forces a panic shot.

Then comes Merab’s world: the single-leg chain wrestling.

At 2:07, Merab gets deep on the leg and begins the machine-gun sequence we all expected — lifts, trips, direction changes, mat returns. But Yan denies all 8 takedown attempts. He never falls, never breaks posture, never panics. It’s elite anti-wrestling.

So the round becomes a classic judging dilemma:

• Merab: more volume, more attempts, constant activity
• Yan: cleaner shots, better accuracy, sharper defense

The judges rewarded Merab’s activity, but effectiveness belongs to Yan.

R1 Score: 10–9 Petr Yan

ROUND 2️⃣ — Merab Turns Up the Wrestling, Yan Answers With His Own Takedown

Merab comes out of the corner like a man rebooted. He immediately pressures Yan backward and shoots a single leg in the opening seconds. This time Yan’s back is to the fence — he can’t pull the leg out as easily. Merab grinds, climbs, wraps the hips…

…yet Yan STILL escapes.

Then comes the surprise of the round.

At 2:28, YAN shoots a double leg on MERAB — and gets him down.
Yes, the Machine gets machine-checked. The arena gasps. Merab scrambles out, but Yan proves a point:
he’s not just a boxer. He can wrestle too.

Striking-wise, the round is still Yan’s playground. Merab keeps throwing the exact same pattern — feint → single right overhand — and Yan starts punishing him for it. At 3:23, Yan counters the overhand with his own heavy shot. Later, Yan mixes jabs, body shots, and clean pivots to make Merab’s entries look slow and predictable.

Grappling remains high-pace, but once again:

• Merab = pressure
• Yan = escapes, reversals, defensive wins

Yan leaves Merab’s a deep cut on the nose with counters and body kicks — the kind of strikes that change pacing, not just score points.

R2 Score: 10–9 Petr Yan

ROUND 3️⃣ — Merab’s Best Round, but Yan Still Makes Him Pay

Round 3 opens with both men trying to steal the momentum back. Yan cuts the cage early, but Merab recovers quickly and pressures back.

Then we get two huge moments:

1. YAN’S FACE SLAM (4:19)

Merab attempts the head & arm lock, Yan lifts and slams him face-first into the canvas — the entire arena wakes up. Merab pops right back up, but the message is clear:
“You’re not the only wrestler here.”

2. MERAB’S SHOWBOAT BODY LIFT (3:40)

Merab returns the favor with a massive high crotch lift, walking Yan around like a trophy before dumping him. He even follows up with a rear body-lock trip. Perfect chain wrestling entry → trip → mat return.

Yan?
He stands up instantly.

Even with Merab’s best grappling moments of the fight, Yan refuses to stay down for more than a second. That kind of takedown defense demoralizes elite wrestlers.

Striking exchanges are competitive:

• Yan lands clean counters, especially the left hook
• Merab lands a big right hand and a hard cross after a blocked kick
• Yan hurts Merab badly with a late body kick — shades of O’Malley vs Merab

It’s super close round, Merab finally got the takedowns, but also Yan got his as well.

R3 Score: 10–9 Petr Yan

ROUND 4️⃣ — Yan Begins to Break Merab With Body Shots & Footwork

Merab starts the round with pressure, but something’s different now:
he doesn’t trust his body anymore.

Yan’s body kicks from Round 3 clearly left a mark. Merab shoots more desperately this round — and Yan shuts down everything, again. Every entry gets stuffed, angled out, or punished.

Yan’s striking becomes surgical:

• stiff jabs slicing through
• body kicks punishing the ribs
• counters catching Merab’s predictable combos
• uppercut → body hook sequence from the clinch at 1:05 that visibly hurts Merab

Merab still tries his feint → overhand pattern, but Yan is reading it like a book at this point. He blocks, slips, counters — rinse and repeat.

Merab’s takedown attempts?
Smothered. Neutralized.
Even his best moment — the arm-in guillotine attempt at 4:23 — gets solved by Yan’s perfect framing and hip management.

Yan dominates distance, damage, and defense.

R4 Score: 10–9 Petr Yan

ROUND 5️⃣ — Yan Closes the Show With Everything Complete Under Control

The final round begins with Merab looking exhausted but still dangerous. He knows he needs a finish, so he keeps trying to force wrestling exchanges. Yan, however, is a wall:
solid stance, airtight hips, elite balance.

Yan stays in the center, chopping at Merab’s legs, stabbing the body, and slipping the overhands that Merab keeps forcing out of habit.

At 3:46, Yan stops another Merab entry with a clean 1–2.
At 1:12, he punishes Merab’s last overhand attempt with another brutal liver kick — the same shot that folded Merab vs O’Malley.

Grappling-wise:

• Merab tries one last back-take attempt
• Yan slips out
• Merab tries another chain shot
• Yan reverses him AGAIN
• Yan even secures a late double leg at 0:15 just to put an exclamation point on the fight

This round is all Yan:

• ring generalship
• defense
• striking superiority
• grappling denial
• pacing control

R5 Score: 10–9 Petr Yan

📇 OFFICIAL SCORECARD

• R1: 10–9 Yan
• R2: 10–9 Yan
• R3: 10–9 Yan
• R4: 10–9 Yan
• R5: 10–9 Yan

Winner: Petr Yan (50–45)
Clear, intelligent, composed performance.

🇷🇺 WHAT PETR YAN DID BETTER

✔ Elite takedown defense (20+ shutdowns) — Merab’s chain wrestling had ZERO lasting control. Yan got up instantly every time.

✔ Sharp jab and counter system — Yan punished Merab’s predictable overhand over and over.

✔ Bodywork that changed the fight — The body shots reduced Merab’s pace and confidence.

✔ Superior footwork and cage control — Yan’s pivots, stance switches, and angles kept him off the fence all night.

✔ Better adjustments — When Merab tried to change gears, Yan elevated his striking AND defensive grappling.

---

🇬🇪 WHAT MERAB STRUGGLED WITH

❌ Overreliance on feint → right overhand — Too predictable. Yan solved it quickly.

❌ No consistent setup for takedowns — He forced attempts instead of constructing them.

❌ No ground control after takedowns — He could get Yan down… but not keep him there.

❌ Too active for a year — Heavy schedule affects recovery and cardio, even for a machine.

Still — respect where it’s due. Merab fought with heart, pace, and commitment the whole 25 minutes.

🗝️ Takeaway

This rematch showed the difference between pressure without control and pressure with solutions.

Merab had the heart.
Yan had the answers.

This was the best version of Yan we’ve seen since his championship run — patient, defensively elite, and absolutely ice-cold in big moments. A masterclass in anti-wrestling and mid-range striking.

An elite battle between two of the best fighters in the division, this literally put the final event of 2025 living in everyone minds.

⭐ Other moments of UFC 323

• Joshua Van claimed the flyweight title in an unexpected way outcome: Pantoja got his arm injured during a takedown defense.
• Taisuro Taira ground-and-pound finished Brando Moreno — controversy of ref early stoppage.
• Triple C emotional retired after another loses to Payton Talbott.
• Jan Blachowicz shared another majority draw with Bogdan Guskov, proves that he might “old but not obsolete”.
• Manuel Torres KO’ed Grant Dawson in the first round.
• Maycee Barber returned and defeated Karine Silva after pulled out from her previous match up.