For Immediate Release:
January 26, 2023
The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, will host a highly anticipated bantamweight showdown between No. 2 ranked contender Petr Yan and No. 3 Merab Dvalishvili. This UFC FIGHT NIGHT® event will take place on Saturday, March 11 and will be available exclusively on ESPN+ in both English and Spanish.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: YAN vs. DVALISHVILI will go on sale on Friday, January 27 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased at axs.com, with a limit of eight tickets per person. UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets on Wednesday, January 25 at 10 a.m. PT through the website www.ufcfightclub.com, while UFC newsletter subscribers will have access to a special internet pre-sale on Thursday, January 26, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To participate in this presale, register for the UFC newsletter at UFC.com.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Yan, with a record of 16-4 and hailing from Omsk, Russia, aims to make a statement and return to championship glory. With a Master of Sport in Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts, Yan has secured victories over Cory Sandhagen, José Aldo, and Urijah Faber. He now hopes to kick off 2023 by defeating the surging Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili, with a record of 15-4 and fighting out of Long Island, NY and Tbilisi, Georgia, aims to make the most of his first UFC main event by defeating another former champion. Holding the record for the most takedowns landed at 135 pounds (50), Dvalishvili has claimed victories over José Aldo, Marlon Moraes, and Cody Stamann, and now aims to add Yan to his impressive resume and stake his claim for a title shot.
No. 8 ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov, with a record of 35-10 and fighting out of Moscow, Russia, aims to break into the top five by delivering another knockout. Known for his dangerous striking ability, Volkov has put away opponents such as Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alistair Overeem, and Fabricio Werdum. He now aims to add Alexandr Romanov’s name to his list of impressive knockouts and compete for a title shot.
Rising heavyweight contender Romanov, with a record of 16-1 and fighting out of Comrat, Moldova, enters the Octagon with the aim of securing the biggest win of his career in decisive fashion. Having secured notable victories against Chase Sherman, Jared Vanderaa, and Juan Espino, Romanov hopes to start 2023 off with a statement victory over top contender Volkov.
Other exciting bouts on the card include: Ricardo Ramos vs. Austin Lingo in a featherweight thriller, Raphael Assunção vs. Kyler Phillips in a bantamweight tilt, Vitor Petrino vs. Anton Turkalj in a light heavyweight bout, Karl Williams vs. Lukasz Brzeski in a heavyweight clash, Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti in a bantamweight showdown, Victor Henry vs. Tony Gravely in a bantamweight bout, Sedriques Dumas vs. Abu Azaitar at middleweight, Ariane Lipski vs. JJ Aldrich in a bantamweight match, and Tyson Nam vs. Bruno Silva in a flyweight contest.
