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This weekend saw Petr Yan come close to regaining the UFC bantamweight title from Aljamain Sterling. In the end, ‘No Mercy’ just couldn’t quite get the job done.
After his loss to Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan is likely to need to beat at least one more opponent before receiving another title shot, so who should he fight next?
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Thankfully for the Russian, there is no shortage of potential opponents for him to face off with in the octagon in the near future, as the bantamweight division is loaded with talent.
With that in mind, here are five potential opponents for Petr Yan following his setback at UFC 273.
#5. Petr Yan vs. Dominick Cruz
Petr Yan essentially made his name in the UFC by crushing some former greats. He defeated Urijah Faber to become the top contender to the bantamweight title and then finished off Jose Aldo to claim the gold at UFC 251 in 2020.
With that considered, one option for his next bout could be a clash with another great former champion in the form of Dominick Cruz.
‘The Dominator’ famously held the bantamweight title on two occasions, most recently in 2016. Had it not been for a lengthy string of serious injuries, he could well have established himself as the greatest 135lber in the history of MMA.
Right now, Cruz is arguably past his prime, as he turned 37 years old in March. However, he is on a two-fight winning streak. He outpointed Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz in 2021, with the latter bout winning UFC 269’s Fight of the Night award.
A win over ‘The Dominator’ wouldn’t mean as much to someone like Yan as it would’ve done during Cruz’s peak years. However, the former champ is still ranked at No.7 in the division and has as much name value as any other bantamweight in the UFC right now.
Given that the promotion could easily headline a Fight Night event or co-headline a pay-per-view with a fight like this, it’d probably be an attractive bout for them to make. As Cruz would be a beatable opponent for Yan, it should probably appeal to ‘No Mercy’ and his coaches too.
#4. Petr Yan vs. Cory Sandhagen
2021 gave UFC fans a number of excellent fights. One that definitely stood out above most of the rest was Petr Yan’s wild interim bantamweight title bout with Cory Sandhagen in October.
The two talented strikers went toe-to-toe for five rounds at UFC 267. While Yan came away with his hand raised, the fight was remarkably close and saw both men land some hellacious blows on each other. Essentially, it was a modern classic.
With that considered, why not run the fight back and make ‘The Sandman’ Yan’s first opponent after his loss to Aljamain Sterling?
The UFC has never been afraid to make quick rematches. While Sandhagen has not fought since his loss to ‘No Mercy’, it’s likely that he wouldn’t turn the bout down as it’d be a chance for him to avenge one of his most painful losses.
Given the close nature of their first encounter, it’d be a huge risk for Yan to fight Sandhagen again, particularly if he’s got eyes on claiming another shot at Sterling.
However, given ‘The Sandman’ is currently ranked at No.4 in the division, it might be the bout that makes the most sense in order to give ‘No Mercy’ a path back to another title fight.
#3. Petr Yan vs. Marlon Vera or Rob Font
The next big bantamweight fight on the horizon in the UFC pits Marlon Vera against Rob Font. It’s probably fair to say that the winner of this clash – which is set to headline the Fight Night event on April 30th – should be considered a bonafide title contender.
With Aljamain Sterling looking at a meeting with TJ Dillashaw in the near future, either Vera or Font will require a big fight to follow their clash. Perhaps a bout with Petr Yan could make sense for the victor.
Regardless of who comes out on top, a fight with Yan could definitely produce fireworks. Font’s lanky striking style could prove to be a tricky test for ‘No Mercy’, who would come in with a 4.5” reach disadvantage. Vera’s sheer aggression in all areas could mean a potential clash with Yan could be a classic as well.
Yan would undoubtedly be favored to beat both of these fighters, particularly as they both hold recent losses to Jose Aldo, who was slaughtered by the Russian in their meeting back in 2020.
However, so-called MMA math doesn’t always work. Giving either Font or Vera a crack at ‘No Mercy’ would probably make sense for all parties involved, particularly as a win over the Russian could propel either man into a title shot.
#2. Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili
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.
#1. Petr Yan vs. Henry Cejudo
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.
