Who does Petr Yan fight next? 3 possible choices
With Petr Yan defeating Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Macau, the bantamweight division has sorted itself out a bit more.
Figueiredo was who Merab Dvalishvili, the bantamweight champion, wanted to fight should he be victorious. But now that Yan is victorious and has denied Figueiredo his shot, Yan is all everyone wants to fight.
But who does he fight? What options does the 31-year-old former champion fight next? Let’s look at some potential options.
Will Petr Yan fight Merab Dvalishvili next?
It seems that a rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan is the most likely option next for the Russian. On social media, Dvalishvili has been making it clear that he does not want to defend against Umar Nurmagomedov next, the number two contender and who everyone sees as the next in line.
Instead, “The Machine” has been calling out Petr Yan for a rematch of their 2023 fight. That fight saw Dvalishvili drown Yan for all five rounds. This fight is the last loss by Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili would go on to fight for, and win, the title shortly after.
Dvalishvili has said that UFC 313 in March, during Ramadan (Nurmagomedov is a practicing Muslim), These two could run it back and give the fans a major treat.
A rematch with Sean O’Malley
Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan have history. If the UFC decides that Merab Dvalishvili must fight Umar Nurmagomedov next, the Tiger Muay Thai fighter will look for other options. O’Malley defeated Yan for a title shot in a very contentious decision.
With both being former champions, this fight could easily be a five round c0-main event like we’ve seen recently with high profile fights. Additionally, the two could serve as a backup to a hypothetical Merab-Umar title fight.
All of that aside, both O’Malley and Yan have had their issues with this fight. O’Malley came out on top but Yan has said that he was robbed. Fans believe that too. That’s an easy way to sell a fight: unfinished business.
The wildcard: Brandon Moreno
If we want to get really crazy, Brandon Moreno is the best option to fight Petr Yan next. I know it sounds crazy but hear me out. Dvalishvili could be tied up with Umar Nurmagomedov. He also dominated Petr Yan.
Similarly, Brandon Moreno has lost to Alexandre Pantoja twice, and three if we remember the two’s exhibition on The Ultimate Fighter. Moreno is not getting a title shot either.
If we want both flyweight and bantamweight to sort themselves out a bit, let’s book both Yan and Moreno against each other. The fight is an all action fight, one that guarantees Fight of the Night. Both are incredible strikers, sneaky good grapplers, and at the top of their games right now.
