Petr Yan calls for rematch against UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili

Petr Yan proved he’s still among the elite in the UFC’s bantamweight division with his performance in the main event of UFC Fight Night 248, and he wants to run it back against now-champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) emerged victorious in a thriller against former flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo. Yan swept the scorecards against Figueiredo (24-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) to win his second consecutive unanimous decision.

Looking ahead, Yan wants to reclaim UFC gold. For “No Mercy,” there’s not many obstacles in his way.

“I already beat both Sean O’Malley and (Cory) Sandhagen,” Yan said through an interpreter at a post-fight news conference. “I already beat them before.”

Yan defeated Sandhagen by unanimous decision at UFC 267 in 2021, reclaiming a piece of the bantamweight title he lost to Aljamain Sterling in the previous fight due to an illegal knee. The following fights, a unification rematch against Sterling and a bout against now-former champion Sean O’Malley, were heartbreaking split-decision losses that he believes were victories.

Due to those results, some began writing Yan off as one of the elites in the division, which may have been premature. The next fight against Dvalishvili, which he lost by unanimous decision, only made that chatter grow louder.

However, Yan has since won two straight, and appears to be fully back on track after defeating Song Yadong and Figueiredo.

“Merab, let’s do it again,” Yan said. “I’m ready to talk about a rematch, and I believe it’s going to be a very exciting fight.”

Yan is currently ranked No. 3 in the promotion’s bantamweight rankings, with only Umar Nurmagomedov and O’Malley ahead of him. Dvalishvili, who won the title at UFC 306, does not have his first title defense scheduled, but Yan seems to believe more work could be necessary to get a title shot against Dvalishvili.

“It’s my second win in a row,” Yan said. “I beat really tough opponents who were on winning streaks too. Step-by-step, we’re getting there. We’re going to get these rematches and a title fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.