With two back-to-back wins over Sean O’Malley, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has put his stamp on the division, as he rides on a 13-fight win streak. He’s taken down the top fighters in the 135lbs weight class, and now we stand ready for a new challenger to rise up. It looks like one of Dvalishvili’s former rivals has some scores to settle, and he’s eager to face him again.

One of Merab Dvalishvili’s most notable wins in the UFC came against former champion Petr Yan. As he’s done with his other former opponents, ‘The Machine’ dominated his Russian counterpart and earned himself a unanimous decision victory. However, ‘No Mercy’ asserts that he lost control of the first fight due to several key factors. First, he pointed out some physical issues he was facing. Then, Yan asserted that his fight camp didn’t unfold as expected.

However, Petr Yan’s plan now is to get that title fight once again. The Russian star is currently on a 2-fight winning streak and is taking on Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi. It appears that he wants to fight Merab Dvalishvili for the title after recording his 19th career win this weekend, hoping that he keeps the title before ‘No Mercy’ gets a chance to fight for it. The former champion seemed truly confident when he claimed that he has the ability to beat Dvalishvili despite the dominant run of a lifetime that the Georgian star is currently on.

“In the first fight, I couldn’t show my capabilities. This is a really well-reasoned fact. We hope that one more fight will take place,” Petr Yan told Kolos on MMA (via Google Translate). ” Merab does his job; he has his strong sides, which he imposes. I see that I can defeat him.”

Well, maybe what Petr Yan needs to do if he wants a title shot is talk to the bantamweight champion himself. If you’re wondering why he should do that, it’s important to note that Merab Dvalishvili recently claimed to have been given some liberties by Dana White. Here’s what he had to say.

UFC has allowed Merab Dvalishvili to choose his next opponent

After Sean O’Malley, who was deemed to be Dana White‘s next handpicked superstar, failed to regain the title even though he was in better shape than at UFC 306, things have turned out better for Merab Dvalishvili. During an interview with MMA Junkie, ‘The Machine’ claimed that Dana White has given him the opportunity to pick and choose his next title contender, which is quite a surprising revelation. And guess what? Dvalishvili has a few names in mind, and that includes Petr Yan, but Dvalishvili prefers Cory Sandhagen first.

“Cory Sandhagen told me at the [event], ‘You’re the champ, you tell us when we’re fighting.’ The UFC called me when I was in Georgia and said, ‘Enjoy your country. When you come to Las Vegas, let’s go. Choose who you want to fight, choose where you want to fight,'” said Merab Dvalishvili. “I was like, ‘Wow, I guess I have to choose!’ I think Cory Sandhagen is most deserving. Peter Yan is another option—he’s a former champ, but he has a fight coming up.”

Merab Dvalishvili is eager to step into the Octagon soon. With Petr Yan gearing up for a fight this weekend, Dvalishvili envisions a showdown with ‘The Machine’ by the end of the year, following his bout with Cory Sandhagen. We’re on the edge of our seats waiting to see what Dana White has planned for these fighters, as the bantamweight division just got a whole lot more exciting. Share your thoughts in the comments below.