Overview
- Fight week wrapped with the press conference and staredowns, and the main card airs Saturday from T-Mobile Arena on ESPN PPV in the U.S. with prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
- Champion Merab Dvalishvili enters as a heavy favorite (around -500) against Petr Yan, seeking a record fourth successful defense of 2025 after a 50–45 win over Yan in 2023.
- Alexandre Pantoja defends the flyweight belt against 24-year-old Joshua Van, with sportsbooks favoring Pantoja and Van aiming to become the youngest active UFC champion.
- Notable bouts on the card include Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira, Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott in Cejudo’s announced retirement fight, and Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov.
- Media-day notes included Dvalishvili downplaying trash talk, Yan expressing confidence about improvements for the rematch and openness to a trilogy, and the champion naming fresh potential challengers for 2026.