5 potential opponents for Petr Yan following his setback at UFC 273
This weekend saw Petr Yan come close to regaining the UFC bantamweight title from Aljamain Sterling. In the end, ‘No Mercy’ just couldn’t quite get the job done.
After his loss to Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan is likely to need to beat at least one more opponent before receiving another title shot, so who should he fight next?
🏼Life goes on. Goal remains the same! Thanks for the support 😊✊🏼
Thankfully for the Russian, there is no shortage of potential opponents for him to face off with in the octagon in the near future, as the bantamweight division is loaded with talent.
With that in mind, here are five potential opponents for Petr Yan following his setback at UFC 273.
#5. Petr Yan vs. Dominick Cruz
Petr Yan essentially made his name in the UFC by crushing some former greats. He defeated Urijah Faber to become the top contender to the bantamweight title and then finished off Jose Aldo to claim the gold at UFC 251 in 2020.
With that considered, one option for his next bout could be a clash with another great former champion in the form of Dominick Cruz.
‘The Dominator’ famously held the bantamweight title on two occasions, most recently in 2016. Had it not been for a lengthy string of serious injuries, he could well have established himself as the greatest 135lber in the history of MMA.
Right now, Cruz is arguably past his prime, as he turned 37 years old in March. However, he is on a two-fight winning streak. He outpointed Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz in 2021, with the latter bout winning UFC 269’s Fight of the Night award.
Official: Dominick Cruz def. Pedro Munhoz 29-28 x 3.
Vintage stuff from Cruz in those last two rounds.
A win over ‘The Dominator’ wouldn’t mean as much to someone like Yan as it would’ve done during Cruz’s peak years. However, the former champ is still ranked at No.7 in the division and has as much name value as any other bantamweight in the UFC right now.
Given that the promotion could easily headline a Fight Night event or co-headline a pay-per-view with a fight like this, it’d probably be an attractive bout for them to make. As Cruz would be a beatable opponent for Yan, it should probably appeal to ‘No Mercy’ and his coaches too.