The UFC Bantamweight title picture is taking shape.
At this point, all signs are pointing towards a trilogy matchup between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan sometime this summer after Yan recovers from his recent back surgery. It’s an obvious fight that makes sense given that each man holds one dominant victory over the other, as well as Dvalishvili’s otherwise incredible championship reign until the shocking loss.
Where does that leave top contender Umar Nurmagomedov and former champion Sean O’Malley?
Both men were victorious at UFC 324, picking up decisions over Deiveson Figueiredo and Song Yadong respectively. Though O’Malley initially expressed an interest in chilling on the sidelines until Dvalishvili vs. Yan 3 goes down, Nurmagomedov’s manager Rizvan Magomedov reveals that talks are actually progressing to book the duo in a title eliminator match up.
“[That match up] is what both sides agree on,” Magomedov explained to Sport 24. “We’re considering fighting Sean O’Malley. As far as I understand, Sean O’Malley isn’t opposed to this fight either and is not avoiding it in any way. It all seems logical, but there’s no confirmation yet. There are no specific dates or specific agreements yet. But, it’s likely things are moving in that direction.”
The matchup makes a lot of sense, but O’Malley also has history with Petr Yan. If “No Mercy” emerges victorious from his trilogy with “The Machine,” there’s still a chance that “Suga” jumps the line once more. Really, it would be nice if the promotion could just book all these pivotal Bantamweight matchups on the same event!
