5 potential opponents for Petr Yan following his setback at UFC 273

#2. Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili might be a dangerous opponent for Petr Yan

While the spotlight in the UFC’s bantamweight division seems to be on the likes of Rob Font, Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen right now, it’s probably fair to suggest that the weight class’ forgotten man is Merab Dvalishvili.

‘The Machine’ has not fought since his stunning TKO win over Marlon Moraes in September. He’s riding arguably the division’s most impressive win streak, having claimed victory in seven straight bouts dating back to September 2018.

Essentially, the native of Georgia is just waiting for a potential breakout fight. There’s no doubt that a clash with a former champion like Petr Yan could prove to be just that.

This one would definitely be a hugely dangerous fight for ‘No Mercy’. Not only is Dvalishvili relatively unheralded in terms of name value, but his wrestling-heavy style might prove to be tricky for Yan to handle. After all, we saw Yan grounded by Aljamain Sterling on multiple occasions in their fight last weekend.

However, if Yan could defeat ‘The Machine’, then he’d have proven his ability to get past a powerful wrestler. This would suggest that the holes in his game that caused his loss to ‘The Funk Master’ had been closed.

This one would be a high-risk fight for ‘No Mercy’ but, in a surprising way, it could be a high rewarding fight too. It’d definitely be a worthwhile fight for Dvalishvili, who would probably jump at the chance to face a former champion. Therefore, on multiple levels, it would make sense to book it.

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#1. Petr Yan vs. Henry Cejudo

A clash with Henry Cejudo could make plenty of sense for Petr Yan

Perhaps the most intriguing bout for Petr Yan following his loss to Aljamain Sterling – at least from a name value perspective – would be against former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo.

‘Triple C’ famously became a double champion when he stopped Marlon Moraes to claim the bantamweight crown back in June 2019. After defending his title against Dominick Cruz a year later, he stepped away from the UFC, feeling he wasn’t being paid his worth.

However, in recent days, he’s stated that he’s ready to return. He has reportedly rejoined USADA’s drug testing pool in order to plot his comeback to the octagon.

Cejudo has suggested he wants a shot at reigning UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. However, given he’s never fought at 145lbs before, it’s unlikely that the promotion would grant that wish. A fight with Yan, however, would make much more sense.

Were Yan to defeat a former champion like Cejudo, particularly given the Olympian didn’t actually lose his title in the octagon, it’d be hard to deny him another crack at Aljamain Sterling.

On the flip side, of course, if ‘Triple C’ were to pull the win out, then he’d essentially be able to demand whatever he wanted from the UFC – whether that’s a shot at Sterling or Volkanovski.

This fight could easily act as a headliner to a major ESPN show for the UFC. In all aspects, it’d make perfect sense to make it happen.