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This weekend saw the UFC return to Las Vegas for its latest Fight Night event. Wth plenty of strong bouts on tap, it was a good one to watch.
Coming out of UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili, then, what fights should the promotion’s matchmakers look to sign next? With a number of options for some of last night’s top stars, Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard have plenty of directions they could choose to go in.
Here are five fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili.
#5. UFC bantamweight bout: Davey Grant vs. Jonathan Martinez
Two of the bigger winners at last night’s UFC event were bantamweights Davey Grant and Jonathan Martinez.
Grant was able to choke veteran Raphael Assuncao unconscious, giving him his second win via stoppage in a row, while Martinez extended his own win streak to five by outpointing Said Nurmagomedov.
After this weekend’s event, it’s likely that Martinez will wind up in the top 15 at bantamweight given Nurmagomedov was ranked at No.14 going into the bout.
Grant, meanwhile, will probably remain unranked. However, ‘Dangerous’ has definitely earned a big fight, so matching him with Martinez might make sense from that perspective.
More to the point, though, the two men have already faced off once, with Grant knocking Martinez out in the second round of a thriller in 2021.
Could ‘The Dragon’ avenge that defeat if he’s given the opportunity? Given his current form, it’d definitely be possible. However, Grant remains underrated and is a consummate finisher, as well as being remarkably tough to hurt in his own right.
Overall, this rematch could make for an excellent addition to any Fight Night card in the near future.
#4. UFC heavyweight bout: Alexander Volkov vs. Serghei Spivac
Heavyweight veteran Alexander Volkov impressed this weekend in his win over Alexander Romanov. Most importantly, he finished his foe in the first round, too.
Considering he once had a mild reputation as a safety-first fighter, the fact that ‘Drago’ has now finished his last two opponents in the first round bodes well for his future in terms of how hard the UFC are likely to push him.
Who should the Russian face next, then? Most of the fighters ranked above him are either already booked or have fought Volkov in the past. One name, however, stands out as a clear-cut option.
That fighter is Serghei Spivac, who is currently ranked one spot above Volkov at No.7. ‘The Polar Bear’ is currently riding a three-fight win streak and most recently dispatched former title contender Derrick Lewis. He’s also finished all three of those fights.
Despite this, there are still some question marks over the native of Moldova, most notably surrounding his durability and overall size.
Volkov would undoubtedly test Spivac in both of those areas, but given ‘Drago’ has had problems with fighters able to put him on his back before, it’d be impossible to count ‘The Polar Bear’ out.
Overall, this would be a solid fight to make, and given the UFC’s love for heavyweight bouts, it could easily headline a Fight Night event later this year.
#3. UFC light heavyweight bout: Nikita Krylov vs. Jan Blachowicz
No.6 ranked light heavyweight Nikita Krylov defended his ranking this weekend by submitting the No.8-ranked Ryan Spann in the first round of their rebooked bout. While it didn’t win them a $50k bonus, it was arguably the best fight of the night.
Krylov is a difficult fighter to book going forward. Primarily, this is because he’s been around the UFC for so long now – debuting way back in 2013 – meaning he’s fought almost every other notable 205lber on the roster.
However, ‘The Miner’ showed with his win over Spann – his third in a row – that he’s more than just a gatekeeper. He’s a dangerous finisher and could be a dark horse title contender in a division that’s in a state of flux right now, particularly at the top.
With that in mind, it’s only fair to give Krylov a shot at a fighter ranked above him next. One name instantly comes to mind – former champ Jan Blachowicz.
The Polish fighter has not fought since his controversial draw with Magomed Ankalaev in December. Right now, there doesn’t seem to be much appetite in booking a rematch between the two.
More to the point, Blachowicz submitted Krylov in what was then considered a mild upset back in 2018. Given his current form, it seems fair to give ‘The Miner’ a shot at avenging that loss.
If the UFC decides to head back to Europe later in 2023, particularly if they venture out of the UK, then this could be the perfect headliner for them.
#2. UFC bantamweight bout: Petr Yan vs. Dominick Cruz
While he wasn’t finished, the big loser at last night’s event was almost certainly Petr Yan. The former UFC bantamweight champion was well beaten by Merab Dvalishvili in the event’s headliner and has now lost his last three fights in the octagon.
Considering that ‘No Mercy’ was practically considered unbeatable when he stopped Jose Aldo to claim bantamweight gold in 2020, it’s been a fast and decisive slide down for the Russian.
However, Yan hasn’t been losing badly per say, and almost certainly has enough to remain a title threat. The one thing he needs more than anything right now, though, is a win.
With most of the other top bantamweights tied up right now, then, the opponent who might make the most sense for him could be former champion Dominick Cruz.
‘The Dominator’ hasn’t fought since his knockout loss to Marlon Vera in 2022, but has stated that he has no intention of retiring any time soon. More to the point, his reputation as the greatest 135lber of all time remains largely intact.
A fight between Cruz and Yan might seem a little unfair to the 38-year old veteran. However, the fact is that the role of an aging talent in the UFC is to put over younger foes, and Yan is in dire need of a win right now.
Essentially, this fight could easily act as the headliner of a Fight Night card or as a main card showcase on a major pay-per-view, and it’s about the only fight that would make sense for ‘No Mercy’ right now.
#1. UFC bantamweight bout: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo or Sean O’Malley
Bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili undoubtedly picked up the biggest win of his UFC career this weekend when he defeated former titleholder Petr Yan via unanimous decision.
‘The Machine’ put on a phenomenal show, setting a pace that Yan simply couldn’t keep up with and using both his striking and grappling skills to force him to wilt down the stretch.
Usually, a win like this would be enough to secure a title shot. However, for Dvalishvili, things are slightly different. His friend and training partner Aljamain Sterling is currently the UFC bantamweight champion, and the two men have stated they won’t face off in the octagon.
With that considered, then, who should the Georgian be matched with next? Given the timing of things, there are two clear routes for the promotion to take.
Sterling is set to defend his title against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in early May. Given that the event is only eight weeks away, Dvalishvili could easily be handed a shot at ‘Triple C’ should he find a way of defeating ‘Funk Master’.
If Sterling wins, though, then the fight that’d make sense for Dvalishvili would be with surging contender Sean O’Malley. ‘Sugar’ has not fought since his own breakout win over Yan in late 2022 and will probably consider himself unfortunate to miss out on a shot at Sterling.
If he could beat Dvalishvili, though, there’d be no way of denying him a shot at Sterling. If he were to lose, of course, the issue of what to do with ‘The Machine’ would once again become relevant – but that’d be a discussion for another time.
