Yan-Dvalishvili to headline UFC card in March

Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan will face rising contender Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC Fight Night on March 11, the promotion announced.

The event is scheduled to take place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

Yan, who held the undisputed title in 2020, is coming off a controversial split decision loss to Sean O'Malley in October. He lost another split decision to reigning champion Aljamain Sterling before falling to O'Malley. The Russian star is widely considered one of the top strikers in the UFC.

Dvalishvili, meanwhile, defeated Jose Aldo in August to record his eighth consecutive victory. The 32-year-old has climbed to No. 3 in the bantamweight rankings, one spot behind Yan.

The March 11 Fight Night is sandwiched between the UFC 285 and UFC 286 pay-per-view events.

Anthony Smith and Jamahal Hill were expected to headline the card until the latter received a late-notice shot at the light heavyweight championship. He'll face Glover Teixeira for the gold at UFC 283 in Brazil.