Merab Dvalishvili (left) reacts after the fight against Cory Sandhagen (blue gloves) during UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena on Oct 4, 2025. — Reuters 

LAS VEGAS: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has officially announced that UFC 23 will take place on December 6 in Las Vegas, featuring 14 total fights, including two title bouts and the much-anticipated comeback of a retired veteran.

The event will serve as the final pay-per-view of 2025, the promotion confirmed on Monday.

In the main event, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight title in a rematch against Petr Yan.

Dvalishvili dominated Yan in their previous encounter, and another victory would make him the first fighter in UFC history to defend a championship four times in a single year.

Currently ranked No. 3 on the MMA Fighting pound-for-pound list, Dvalishvili enters the bout riding a 14-fight winning streak, having rebounded from an 0-2 start to his UFC career.

His most recent victory came in October against Cory Sandhagen, marking his third successful title defense of 2025 after wins over Sean O’Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov earlier in the year.

The co-main event will feature flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) defending his title against rising contender Joshua Van (15-2). The fight marks Pantoja’s fifth consecutive defense of his 125-pound crown.

The matchup was first hinted at by Van’s teammate Michael Aswell, who mentioned it during a post-fight interview at UFC Rio following his first-round finish of Lucas Almeida.

Meanwhile, lightweight veteran Jalin Turner will make his return to the Octagon after announcing his retirement earlier this year.

Turner, who stepped away from MMA in March following a submission loss to Ignacio Bahamondes, his second straight defeat during a 1-4 stretch, will face Edson Barboza in what promises to be an explosive lightweight clash.

Also returning to action is flyweight contender Maycee Barber, who will step back into the cage after more than a year on the sidelines due to multiple medical emergencies.

Barber was hospitalised twice in 2024—first ahead of her scheduled bout with Rose Namajunas, and again in May before her planned fight with Erin Blanchfield.

Now fully recovered, Barber is set to take on Karine Silva in December as she looks to reclaim her momentum and re-enter the title picture, having previously notched six straight victories before her hiatus.