UFC 323 FAQ: What to watch ahead of final two title fights of 2025

The penultimate UFC event of 2025 features the final two title fights of the year.

UFC 323 this weekend is headlined by men’s bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili going for his fourth straight title defence in a rematch with Petr Yan, while men’s flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja takes on rising contender Joshua Van in the co-main event.

Before winning the title in 2024, Dvalishvili defeated Yan in a five-round non-title bout more than 2.5 years ago. Dvalishvili can become the first fighter in UFC history to defend his or her title four times in the same calendar year if he beats Yan a second time. The 34-year-old star from Georgia began 2025 with a win over Umar Nurmagomedov in January at UFC 311, submitted Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 in June and recently stifled Cory Sandhagen at UFC 321 in October.

Yan, 32 from Russia, is a two-time titleholder who has won three in a row since facing Dvalishvili in 2023 and is coming off consecutive decision victories over Marcus McGhee, Deiveson Figueiredo and Yadong Song.

Pantoja is the most dominant flyweight champion since Demetrious Johnson and is entering UFC 323 on an eight-fight winning streak with his past five all being title fights. The 35-year-old from Brazil submitted Kai Kara-France in June in his most recent appearance.

Meanwhile, Van became the top-ranked contender at 125 pounds thanks to his thrilling decision win over Brandon Royval at UFC 317 this past summer. Van only recently turned 24 but is already 8-1 in the UFC and riding a five-fight winning streak.

When and where does it take place?

The 14-bout card is set for Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Sportsnet’s preliminary coverage of UFC 323 begins at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT with the pay-per-view main card set to start at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT and available to order through Sportsnet+.

Who else is on the card?

In addition to the two championship fights, Saturday’s main card features three former UFC champions.

Two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will look to extend his current winning streak to three when he faces touted 25-year-old contender Tatsuro Taira. Former flyweight and bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo returns to face Payton Talbott in a pivotal 135-pound matchup, and former light-heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz aims to snap his winless streak against surging 205-pounder Bogdan Guskov, who’ll be looking for his fifth consecutive stoppage win.

The stacked preliminary card is full of talent from the lightweight division, including a featured bout between Grant Dawson and Manuel Torres, a meeting of fan-friendly finishers Terrance McKinney and Chris Duncan, and a Fight of the Night contender with Nazim Sadykhov taking on Fares Ziam.

Below is the projected bout order for UFC 323 (subject to change):

MAIN CARD

— Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan (five rounds for bantamweight title)

— Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van (five rounds for flyweight title)

— Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira

— Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott

— Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov

PRELIMINARY CARD

— Grant Dawson vs. Manuel Torres

— Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan

— Maycee Barber vs. Karine Silva

— Nazim Sadykhov vs. Fares Ziam

— Marvin Vettori vs. Brunno Ferreira

— Edson Barboza vs. Jalin Turner

— Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan

— Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli

— Muhammad Naimov vs. Mairon Santos

Will there be a live weigh-in show?

Yes! Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter and No. 7-ranked men’s bantamweight contender Aiemann Zahabi will broadcast live from Las Vegas on Friday as they report the official weights for UFC 323 athletes and speak to some of the participating fighters. Fans can watch the live weigh-in show on Sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet+ and Sportsnet’s YouTube channel beginning at approximately 11:55 a.m. ET / 8:55 a.m. PT.

There will be a one-pound allowance for all non-title bouts, but Dvalishvili and Yan must weigh no heavier than 135 pounds with Pantoja and Van not exceeding an even 125 pounds for their title fights to be made official.

What else is happening during fight week?

Bronsteter and Zahabi will have one-on-one interviews with the stars from UFC 323 throughout the week.

Media Day, Dec. 3: Official media events begin Wednesday when participating athletes will speak with gathered reporters at the UFC Apex.

Pre-fight press conference, Dec. 4: All 10 main-card athletes will participate Thursday from T-Mobile Arena. It will be available to stream live on Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT as fighters answer questions.

Official weigh-in, Dec. 5: As mentioned above, Sportsnet will have a live weigh-in show Friday beginning approximately 11:55 a.m. ET / 8:55 a.m. PT and available to stream on Sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet+ and Sportsnet’s YouTube channel.

Ceremonial weigh-in, Dec. 5: Later on Friday after the official weigh-in wraps up and the athletes have begun rehydrating, the fighters will square off with their respective opponents at T-Mobile Arena on the eve of UFC 323. This will also be available to stream live on Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

The fights, Dec. 6: Live preliminary card coverage from T-Mobile Arena will begin on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT with the pay-per-view main card set to start at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

Post-fight press conferences, Dec. 6: Stay tuned to Sportsnet+ after the event has concluded for live reaction from winning fighters plus UFC president Dana White.

More from Sportsnet

Lightweight champ Ilia Topuria taking leave from UFC

Former Bellator MMA champ Yaroslav Amosov set for UFC debut Dec. 13