5 fights to make in the UFC bantamweight division

Sean O'Malley turned the UFC bantamweight division on its head at the recently concluded UFC 292 pay-per-view in Boston. 'Sugar' put away Aljamain Sterling in the second round to claim the 135-pound championship, kicking off his reign in style.

The bantamweight division has emerged as arguably the most exciting weight class in the sport. With the recent coronation of budding superstar Sean O'Malley, there will be tons of eyes on the 135-pound bracket going forward.

On that note, here are five fights to make in the UFC bantamweight division

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#5. Rob Font vs. Jonathan Martinez

Rob Font's struggles against the bantamweight elite have prevented the Bostonian from working his way into the title mix. Defeats to Jose Aldo, Marlon Vera, and Cory Sandhagen have dampened Font's championship aspirations, and he'll likely have to fight a lower-ranked bantamweight next time around.

In his most recent outing, Rob Font was thoroughly outclassed by Cory Sandhagen en route to a decision loss. Having already come up short against a top-ranked contender, he'll have to fight someone below him in the rankings next.

Jonathan Martinez should ideally be next for Font. The No.13-ranked bantamweight is on a five-fight win streak and is on the cusp of breaking into the top 10.

Both Font and Martinez are primarily strikers, with the former known for his slick boxing and the latter renowned for his devastating kicks. This matchup is all but guaranteed to deliver the goods, making it a solid addition to any fight card.

Font vs. Martinez [Images via @rob_font & @martinez3jonathan on Instagram]

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#4. Song Yadong vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

Song Yadong was expected to take on Rob Font earlier this month, but an injury to the Chinese bantamweight forced him to pull out of the fight. 'The Kung Fu Kid' holds the No.7 spot in the rankings, but with every fighter ranked above him firmly in the title mix, he will have to defend the number next to his name.

Song Yadong bounced back from his loss to Cory Sandhagen with an impressive showing against Ricky Simon earlier this year. The 25-year-old is among the brightest prospects in the bantamweight division, and pitting him against another surging prospect makes for an interesting fight.

Umar Nurmagomedov is seen by many as the divisional dark horse. The unbeaten Dagestani holds the No.11 spot in the rankings, but it's only a matter of time before he's in the championship conversation. A fight against a well-rounded fighter like Yadong would be the perfect litmus test of his potential.

Yadong is athletic, quick, and powerful, and will certainly be the toughest opponent Nurmagomedov has faced. If the formidable Russian emerges victorious, he'll break into the division's upper echelons.

Yadong vs. Nurmagomedov [Images via @yadongsong & @umar_nurmagomedov on Instagram]

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#3. Cory Sandhagen vs. Petr Yan 2

Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan squared off for the first time in 2021, contesting the interim bantamweight championship. Sandhagen took the fight on short notice and performed admirably but ultimately came up short against 'No Mercy' that night in Abu Dhabi.

Yan vs. Sandhagen 1 at UFC 267 [Image via @ufc on Instagram]

Two years later, both fighters' trajectories couldn't be more different. Cory Sandhagen has won three fights on the bounce since his loss to Petr Yan, who is riding a three-fight skid. As such, Sandhagen sits one spot ahead of Yan in the rankings.

Their first fight was an absolute barnburner, pitting two dynamic striking styles against one another. Since then, Sandhagen's wrestling has improved by leaps and bounds, while Yan's development has seemingly stagnated. Given the state of the division, a rematch makes sense.

Sandhagen will be eager to avenge his loss to 'No Mercy'. With their first fight happening in Abu Dhabi with the crowd behind Yan, a Fight Night headlining rematch on American soil appears to be the logical next step.

Yan vs. Sandhagen 2 [Image via @petr_yan on Instagram]

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#2. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo – Winner fights for the UFC bantamweight title

Merab Dvalishvili sits just behind newly crowned champion Sean O'Malley and former titleholder Aljamain Sterling in the rankings. With O'Malley likely set to take on Marlon Vera next, there's only one fight to make for Dvalishvili.

Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili is the perfect No.1 contender fight in the UFC bantamweight division. Cejudo returned from a three-year hiatus earlier this year against Aljamain Sterling, losing via split decision, but his presence still looms large atop the division.

Moreover, it's an incredible matchup pitting two of the best wrestlers in the division against one another. Cejudo, a former Olympic gold medallist in freestyle wrestling, and Dvalishvili, who owns most takedown records in the bantamweight division, are on a collision course.

With both Dvalishvili and Cejudo favoring their chances against current 135-pound king Sean O'Malley, this is a high-stakes clash.

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#1. Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 – UFC bantamweight title fight

Sean O'Malley shocked the world at UFC 292, upsetting the odds with his jaw-dropping second-round TKO victory over one of the greatest bantamweights of all time, Aljamain Sterling.

As mentioned earlier, the next fight to make atop the talent-stacked bantamweight division is the rematch between Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera. The duo squared off for the first time three years ago when Vera came away with a TKO victory, albeit with a few caveats.

A leg kick from 'Chito' hit O'Malley's peroneal nerve, causing the rare drop-foot injury. While it is undoubtedly a legitimate win for Vera, the rare nature of the injury has seen many detract from his efforts on the night. 'Sugar' himself has never accepted the loss, which created animosity between the two.

This one's a no-brainer. Hopefully, the UFC sees it the same way.

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