UFC 323: Best Moments, Biggest Finishes, and Full Fight Night Review

UFC 323 proved to be a memorable night to wrap up the UFC’s pay-per-view era — both on ESPN and overall — before its move to Paramount next month. With two new champions and plenty of finishes throughout the night, the event ended up being highly received by fight fans. 

Some even feel UFC 323 became a late contender for Event of the Year as 2025 comes to an end.

With plenty of great moments to go through, let’s take a look at some of the best moments and highlights from the card.

Petr Yan Stops The Machine, Regains Bantamweight Gold

Obviously, we can’t talk about UFC 323 without talking about this. After Merab Dvalishvili had one of the most memorable and incredible calendar years in the history of UFC champions, his attempt at a UFC first backfired, as Petr Yan took a decision win to become the new bantamweight champion.

Dvalishvili had seemed unstoppable, having not lost since dropping his first two UFC outings — including a March 2023 win over Yan. But Yan was ready for his relentless takedowns, and this time he brought the pressure. Yan’s takedown defense was on point, and his jab busted up Dvalishvili’s face. The body shots especially worked, clearly hurting Dvalishvili and looking like they might finish him off.

Dvalishvili found some groove with takedowns in the second half of the fight, but Yan didn’t slow down. Ultimately, it was Yan who got his hand raised and the belt strapped around him.

Injury Leads To Joshua Van Becoming Flyweight Champion

Alexandre Pantoja has been perhaps one of the best champions in the UFC since winning the title at UFC 290. He’s one of those guys who continued to evolve while wearing the gold, looking incredible in title defenses against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asaukra, and Kai Kara-France.

That makes it all the more disheartening that an injury ended his title reign.

If you want to look up the footage, X/Twitter is your friend, but fair warning — it’s not for the faint of heart.

Pantoja looked to bring the fight right away to challenger Joshua Van. But Van caught him quickly and dumped Pantoja to the mat. When that happened, Pantoja fell on his right arm, and it looked like it bent in three different directions. The injury was immediately apparent, and the fight ended in less than 30 seconds.

There have been mixed reports about the injury. It was initially deemed a shoulder dislocation, but it didn’t look that way — even Joe Rogan was stunned to hear that during the broadcast. As of 11:00 a.m. ET on December 7, Pantoja’s team says the injury was to the elbow.

Say what you want about Van being paraded around after Bruce Buffer read the result — maybe not the best look. But credit to Van is still due: it’s a title win in the record books, and it caps a pretty epic 2025 for him as he rocketed up the flyweight ranks.

Henry Cejudo Falls In Retirement Fight But Shows Great Heart

Henry Cejudo’s second UFC run — returning in 2023 after a shocking 2020 retirement — may end with an 0-4 record, but at least he can say he left it all in the Octagon in his loss to Payton Talbott.

As aggressive as Cejudo was in trying to establish control, Talbott outdueled him in the striking department, even landing a pair of takedowns on the former Olympic gold medalist. Talbott then knocked Cejudo down twice in the second round, though Cejudo had moments of his own with a sweep into top position and flurries late.

Cejudo had more top control in the third round, but not enough to stop Talbott from taking the decision. Talbott now has won back-to-back outings since being upset earlier this year in his only professional loss. As for Cejudo, even in defeat, he laid down his gloves after a gritty performance that left fans appreciative.

Chris Duncan Swings The Momentum Against Terrance McKinney

Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan lasted only half a round, but it was an absolutely wild one.

Duncan ended up with his hand raised, but early on it looked like he’d be finished. McKinney nailed him with a high kick and followed with a flurry that looked like it would seal a quick finish. But Duncan survived, got back to his feet, and began swinging.

An elbow made the difference, dropping McKinney. Duncan unloaded ground-and-pound before locking in a choke to secure a dramatic comeback submission — a fight that channeled the chaos of Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry.

Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan Put A Bar Fight In the Octagon

Iwo Baraniewski and Ibo Aslan put on their own short but unforgettable war in Baraniewski’s UFC debut.

The two swung away for roughly 90 seconds. Baraniewski dropped Aslan first, but Aslan got up and rocked Baraniewski seconds later. Aslan pressed forward, but a clean right hand from Baraniewski ended the fight — and earned him a performance bonus.

Not bad for your first Octagon appearance, Mr. Baraniewski.

Mansur Abdul-Malik Continues His Streak of Finishes

Mansur Abdul-Malik remains one of the most exciting rising names to watch as the UFC heads into its 2026 season. And he stamped that status with a dominant finish of Antonio Trocoli.

Abdul-Malik, known for his striking power, delivered an impressive takedown before catching Trocoli in a standing guillotine — just the second submission of his career.

He remains perfect: an undefeated record, and every win via finish. It’ll be interesting to see if the UFC gives him a step up in competition next time out.