UFC 323 includes 14 fights, 2 title bouts and 1 fighter coming out of retirement

UFC 323 has been finalized with 14 total fights, including two title bouts headlining the card as well as one fighter returning from retirement for the final pay-per-view event in 2025 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 6.

As previously announced, Merab Dvalishvili defends his bantamweight title in the main event against Petr Yan. The fight serves as a rematch after Dvalishvili dominated Yan in their first encounter, but now they’ll meet again in December.

If he’s victorious, Dvalishvili would become the first fighter in UFC history to defend his title four times in the same calendar year.

The co-main event features UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his belt against upstart challenger Joshua Van. It’s been a fast rise up the ranks for Van, who has rattled off five straight wins, including a short-notice victory over Brandon Royval that earned him the title shot.

Lightweight veteran Jalin Turner has also been added to the card after he actually announced his retirement from the sport back in March after he suffered a submission loss to Ignacio Bahamondes. That served as Turner’s second loss in a row with a 1-4 run across five fights. Now he’s returning to compete again.

Turner faces Edson Barboza in an intriguing lightweight fight on the card.

Also added to UFC 323 is flyweight contender Maycee Barber, who looks to get back on track following a pair of medical emergencies that have kept her out of action for over a year. Barber spent more than a week in the hospital dealing with a mystery ailment that prevented her from facing former UFC champion Rose Namajunas back in 2024, and then she was just moments away from walking to the octagon to face Erin Blanchfield in May when she endured another emergency that landed her back in the hospital.

Now Barber faces Karine Silva in December with hopes that a win puts her right back into title contention after already rattling off six straight wins.