The reigning bantamweight champion, Petr Yan, is likely to know who his next contender will be following the conclusion of UFC 324. Realistically, there are two contenders, both of whom compete at UFC 324 this weekend in Las Vegas.
Although the first event of the Paramount Plus era is headlined by Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje, the new co-main event will feature Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong. On the prelims, Umar Nurmagomedov locks horns with Deiveson Figueiredo and there’s a good chance that Petr Yan will be standing across from one of two men featured in those fights.
Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley – The Rematch
If Sean O’Malley, the former 135lbs champion, beats Yadong, a tough task in itself, he could realise a rematch with the champ.
The two men first met across three rounds in 2022 in an instant classic. In a very closely contested fight, Suga came away with his hand raised via split decision. He would go on to win the belt in his next match-up.
O’Malley, aside from Yan, was the biggest winner following UFC 323. The American has two losses to Merab Dvalishvili, so if the Georgian won last year, O’Malley wouldn’t be anywhere near the title picture. As Yan won in amazing fashion, O’Malley can sell the storyline that he already holds a win over the champ.
That is… if he beats Yadong at UFC 324.
Petr Yan vs Umar Nurmagomedov – All Russian Affair
The other potential opponent for Petr Yan after UFC 324 is an all Russian affair against Umar Nurmagomedov.
The former title challenger, Nurmagomedov, takes on the former flyweight champion, Figueiredo, in a fight where he’s a heavy favourite. Nurmagomedov narrowly missed out on bantamweight gold when he was out-worked by Dvalishvili in January of last year, suffering his first career loss. He would rebound by snapping Mario Bautista’s long winning run in October of last year, however, didn’t do enough to get a rematch with the Georgian.
If Nurmagomedov does what the odds suggest he will do, there’s a good chance we see him in there with Petr Yan next.
It all depends on who puts on the better performance. If O’Malley narrowly outpoints Yadong and Nurmagomedov finishes Figueiredo, it’ll be an all Russian match-up. If the opposite happens, expect a rematch.
Check out our full UFC 324 breakdown podcast here:
