Petr Yan stunningly dominates Merab Dvalishvili to capture the bantamweight championship at UFC 323

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Petr Yan stunned Merab Dvalishvili with a dominating effort to capture the bantamweight championship by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Saturday night.

With punishing strikes and several crushing kicks to the rib cage, Yan (20-5) ended Dvalishvili’s 14-match winning streak.

“I’m very happy to stand here with the championship belt, thank you to all the fans,” Yan said, through an interpreter. “I worked so hard, I prepared so hard for this moment.”

Dvalishvili (21-5) hadn’t lost since April 21, 2018, when Ricky Simon won by submission. It was his fourth title match of 2025.

Yan exacted revenge for his last loss when Dvalishvili defeated the 32-year-old by unanimous decision on a UFC Fight Night card on March 11, 2023.

Dvalishvili, 34, closed a -425 favorite, which meant a bettor laid $425 to $100 at BetMGM. Anyone wagering $100 on Yan would have won $320.

“I lost today,” Dvalishvili said. “Congratulations to him.”

In the co-main event, challenger Joshua Van won the flyweight belt from former champion Alexandre Pantoja with a TKO just 26 seconds into the first round after a quirky finish.

In what appeared to be a freak accident, Pantoja (30-6) injured his left shoulder just after throwing a right roundkick to Van’s head. But as Van (16-2) blocked the kick, Pantoja used his left arm to brace his fall, but his arm buckled, and he immediately grabbed it and waved to referee Herb Dean to stop the bout at 26 seconds.

In a display of sportsmanship, Van immediately joined Pantoja on the canvas to check on him once the bout was called.

Also from the main card:

In what was a scheduled three-round flyweight bout, No. 5 Tatsuro Taira (18-1-0) earned the biggest victory of his career, a first-round stoppage over No. 2 Brandon Moreno (23-9-2) at the 2:24 mark of the second round after capitalizing on a rear-mount ground-and-pound.

In a three-round bantamweight match, unranked rising star Payton Talbott (11-1-0) dominated 10th-ranked Henry Cejudo (16-6-0) to earn a 30-27 unanimous decision over the former two-division champion. Cejudo, who fought for the last time, was honored with a tribute video after the bout.

In a three-round light heavyweight bout, fifth-ranked Jan Blachowicz (29-11-2) and 11th-ranked Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1) fought to a majority draw. Blachowicz was given the 29-28 edge by one judge, while two others had it 28-28.

It marked the last UFC pay-per-view fight after the organization agreed to a seven-year contract with Paramount Plus under which future bouts will be on the streaming service. The partnership, which includes the two popular series Dana White’s Contender Series and The Ultimate Fighter, begins Jan. 24 with UFC 324 in Las Vegas.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Jan Blachowicz, left, takes a punch from Bogdan Guskov, right, in a light heavyweight mixed martial arts bout during UFC 323, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Henry Cejudo, left, is hit with an elbow by Payton Talbott, right, in a bantamweight mixed martial arts bout during UFC 323, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Tatsuro Taira, of Japan, celebrates after defeating Brandon Moreno in a flyweight bout during UFC 323 Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, right, is injured as he falls to the canvas away from Joshua Van during UFC 323 Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Petr Yan celebrates with a member of his team after defeating UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 323 Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 3, 2026--

Aderant, a leading global provider of business-of-law solutions, today announced the appointment of Aisling Fenelon as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Fenelon, a highly respected legal technology executive with more than 25 years of industry experience, is promoted from her role as Vice President of Sales, North America. She has spent the past eleven years at Aderant building, scaling, and leading high-performing revenue teams while partnering closely with law firm clients to deliver measurable business outcomes.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260228406746/en/

Over the course of her tenure, Fenelon has established herself as a trusted advisor to law firms navigating increasing operational complexity and client pressure. Known for her deep understanding of the business of law, she has consistently driven revenue growth while ensuring Aderant’s solutions deliver meaningful, long-term value.

Fenelon assumes responsibility for Aderant’s global revenue organization at a pivotal time for the legal industry. Law firms are under mounting pressure to improve efficiency, demonstrate value, and realize tangible returns on their technology investments—particularly across the work-to-cash lifecycle. In her new role, Fenelon will focus on aligning Aderant’s category-leading product portfolio with clients’ most critical business challenges, helping firms operate more effectively while supporting both the practice and the business of law.

“Aisling’s career has been defined by her ability to combine deep industry knowledge with a relentless focus on client value,” said Chris Cartrett, President and CEO of Aderant. “She understands the realities law firms face today and how technology must perform to meet those demands. Her leadership, credibility, and institutional knowledge make her uniquely qualified to lead our revenue organization and strengthen the value we deliver to clients around the world.”

Fenelon began her career at Aderant on the Business Development team, later leading that function before being appointed Vice President of Sales, North America. In that role, she was responsible for regional sales strategy and execution across Aderant’s solutions, consistently building trusted relationships with law firm leaders and guiding teams through complex, consultative sales cycles. She holds a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University.

“At the highest level, my role is to ensure Aderant grows in the right way—predictably, sustainably, and always in service of our clients,” said Fenelon. “Law firms are asking more of their technology partners than ever before. Our responsibility is to show, clearly and consistently, how Aderant’s products and services deliver real return on investment and create lasting value. I’m excited to continue building a flexible, open ecosystem that helps our clients adapt, innovate, and thrive.”

As Aderant’s first woman to serve as Chief Revenue Officer, Fenelon also emphasized the importance of representation and internal growth. “Promoting leaders from within sends a powerful message,” she said. “Diverse leadership teams foster stronger dialogue and better decision-making, and representation at the top shows our people that there is a clear path to grow and lead here. That’s good for our culture, our clients, and the long-term health of the business.”

About Aderant®

Aderant is dedicated to helping law firms run a better business. As a leading global provider of business management and practice-of-law solutions, the world’s best firms rely on Aderant to keep their businesses moving forward and inspire innovation. At Aderant, the “A” is more than just a letter. It represents how we fulfill our foundational purpose, serving our clients. Aderant operates as a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the S&P 500 and Fortune 1000. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and has several other offices across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit Aderant.com, email info@aderant.com, or follow the company on LinkedIn.

Aisling Fenelon is Chief Revenue Officer at Aderant. She is a senior sales leader with more than 25 years of experience in the legal technology industry and over a decade at Aderant. She began her tenure at Aderant as a member of the Business Development team, later leading the function, before being appointed Vice President of Sales, North America, where she led regional sales strategy and revenue execution across Aderant’s solutions.