UFC President Dana White and his matchmaking team may be forced to make a difficult decision or reaffirm previous statements about the next men’s bantamweight championship battle.
Following Petr Yan’s spectacular victory against Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event of UFC Macau, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili congratulated Yan.
Yan invited Dvalishvili out after the bout, and the champion accepted. Dvalishvili even presented a homemade rework of the fight poster the two men shared when they met in March 2023.
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Yan, a previous champion, demonstrated that he is still among the division’s elite with an outstanding effort against Figueiredo. Yan’s victory highlighted his well-rounded skills. He demonstrated remarkable versatility, grappling, and resilience in a performance that attracted praise from others besides Dvalishvili.
In most cases, it would be a simple decision to give Yan a title shot.
When asked about Dvalishvili’s first title defense, White repeatedly assured reporters during the post-event press conference following UFC 308 that “Umar [Nurmagomedov] is next”.
Dvalishvili has frequently downplayed his title defense against Nurmagomedov. For whatever reason, Dvalishvili doesn’t seem excited about defending his title against Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili’s reluctance to meet Nurmagomedov has fueled conjecture about the stylistic obstacles Nurmagomedov may present. Nurmagomedov may be the only 135-pounder with wrestling abilities comparable to Dvalishvili, and he also possesses a layered striking attack, as demonstrated in a recent victory against Corey Sandhagen.
In a now-deleted post, Dvalishvili attempted to pitch Yan to the public as a viable challenger.
Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov—or whoever manages his social media—has chastised Dvalishvili on X for his attempt to ignore him.
It’s worth asking who runs Nurmagomedov’s X account, given several of the conversations address him in the third person. Some boxers believe the account is managed by Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
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Abdelaziz has previously faced criticism for reportedly managing his militants’ social media profiles, however he has refuted these accusations.
However, a post from the account appeared to counter these assertions.
In either case, White and the UFC will have to make a tough decision. Following Yan’s victory, many fans urged him to face Sean O’Malley again. Their first bout concluded in a split-decision victory for O’Malley, while Yan claims he won.
That battle makes sense for Yan and O’Malley, with the winner having the potential to reclaim the bantamweight title. However, there is also a scenario in which Dvalishvili defends his championship against Yan and O’Malley meets Nurmagomedov, with the winner getting a title opportunity in 2025.
Both alternatives are appealing. Expect an announcement about the UFC’s direction soon.
