Petr Yan didn’t just beat Merab Dvalishvili; he broke him. The former UFC bantamweight champion stepped into the Octagon for the fourth time this year for his rematch against familiar rival Petr Yan. Unlike their previous encounter, Yan imposed his pace, his pressure, and his wrestling to secure a dominant unanimous-decision victory at UFC 323.

For the 32-year-old, the win solidifies his grip on the division. But for Dvalishvili, it marks his third loss in the UFC—a tough setback for the Georgian fighter who was on the cusp of all-time greatness with a 14-fight win streak. As Yan is the new champion, the win will push his road to some of the biggest fights in the division. Now the question looms: who should Petr Yan face next as he looks to defend his title for the first time?

Petr Yan will get the cream of the crop

Having reclaimed the bantamweight title, Petr Yan now stands at the crossroads of several major matchups — including a potential rubber match with Merab Dvalishvili. A trilogy bout would finally settle their rivalry, and the 34-year-old former champion has earned the right to headline such a showdown, especially after previously offering Yan a chance at redemption.

His next best option will reveal itself at the first-ever UFC-Paramount event. At UFC 324, both Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley, ranked #1 and #2, respectively, will step into the cage against the #6-ranked Deiveson Figueiredo and #5-ranked Song Yadong, respectively. When the rankings update on Tuesday, all of these names will move down a spot with Dvalishvili entering at #1.

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A clash with Umar Nurmagomedov is a compelling option. The rising contender has rebounded impressively since his loss to Dvalishvili and is adamant about earning another title shot. Him vs Yan would be just as, if not more, entertaining than the UFC 323 main event. If the UFC had not already announced his return, this would have been the way to go. And that brings us to O’Malley.

Yan could have easily campaigned for a rematch with Sean O’Malley, who edged past him in a controversial split decision back at UFC 280. This fight would draw eyeballs and would have been less of a stylistic nightmare than Umar. But for that to happen, O’Malley, too, has to get past his UFC 324 opponent Song Yadong. This begs the question: Was the UFC banking on Merab to win and set up a Merab vs Umar rematch sometime in mid 2o26?

It is also no secret that Dana White clearly loves putting O’Malley front and center, so if Sean wins at UFC 324, that timing could work out perfectly for Yan. He’d get the opportunity to seek vengeance, while O’Malley would have the chance to bounce back. But the simplest option off all these is staring us right in the face.

When will Yan return, and against whom?

If you look at the current 135 lbs rankings, Petr Yan has already fought everyone except Umar Nurmagomedov. He just avenged his loss to Dvalishvili and has convincing wins over Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong. He’s even beaten #6-ranked Figueiredo. Considering O’Malley and Umar fight in January 2026, they will likely need a few more months to recuperate and get back in the cage. Who does that leave us with?

Merab Dvalishvili! Instead of relying on the return timelines of athletes who are set to fight already, why not use the guy who last fought on the same date as Yan? A rubber match in the first half of 2026 would be no less competitive, and the winner could take on one of the winners of the UFC 324 matchups in the latter half.

As Dana White put it, this is a very good problem for the matchmakers to have. Granted, he was talking about the welterweight division after UFC 322. But now it applies to bantamweight too.

With Yan upsetting Merab, some of the matchups he may have hoped for could be on the table. Who do you want to see Petr Yan fight next?