A pressing question hangs over the bantamweight division: who will Merab Dvalishvili fight next? The newly crowned champion has made it clear he’s eager to face strong contenders, calling out notable names like Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan, especially after Yan’s victory over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Macau. However, while Dvalishvili has been vocal about facing the #3-ranked Yan, he has notably avoided mentioning #2-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov—despite Dana White publicly announcing Umar as his next opponent at the UFC 308 press conference.

Adding to the intrigue, Nurmagomedov was initially expected to fight Song Yadong in January after expressing frustration over the lack of progress in securing a fight with Dvalishvili. The sudden shift in plans has raised eyebrows, with UFC insiders questioning what led to this unexpected turn of events.

Chael Sonnen weighs in on the future of the 135lbs division

In a conversation that saw former UFC fighter and analyst Chael Sonnen join Mike Soccio, the topic of the altered plans for the highly anticipated bout between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov took center stage. Fans are well aware that the Dagestani star had expressed his desire to fight before March, aiming for a title shot before Ramadan. However, Dvalishvili has been firm in his stance against fighting during that time frame.

Interestingly, Dvalishvili has avoided directly addressing a fight with the #2-ranked contender but hasn’t shied away from calling out other elite fighters like Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan. Nurmagomedov has been vocal about his eagerness to fight before Ramadan, even attempting to secure a bout with Song Yadong, though the fight allegedly fell through owing to the Dagestani’s hand fracture which he revealed in a post on X.

The situation prompted Chael Sonnen to weigh in on the UFC’s shifting stance regarding a title fight for Nurmagomedov. ‘The Bad Guy’ questioned the lack of transparency surrounding the situation, stating, “Allegedly Nurmagomedov was supposed to get the title shot against Merab. Without any conversation. Without anything being disclosed to us, the audience, about an illness or an injury, Nurmagomedov signed on to fight somebody else. By the way, on free TV. Nurmagomedov isn’t the number one contender because he is in this fight. But what happened? Did he pull out, or did Merab pull out? Nobody has put out a press release saying that one of them was hurt or injured.”

While Dana White initially suggested that Nurmagomedov could face Merab Dvalishvili next, no official announcement followed, leaving fans in limbo. Sonnen further highlighted how Nurmagomedov’s readiness to fight someone other than Dvalishvili, including the proposed bout with Song Yadong, has potentially weakened his case as the number one contender.

Sonnen explained, “There are so many great guys to choose from. We were led to believe that it was gonna be Nurmagomedov. But that argument from the company—that, ‘No, it’s Nurmagomedov and nothing else’—loses weight when you already announced that he was offered and signed to fight somebody else that was not a title shot.”

With the bantamweight division in a state of flux, ‘Young Eagle’ chimed in with yet another callout to the reigning champ.

Umar Nurmagomedov gives a final call out to Dvalishvili

Following Petr Yan’s performance against Deiveson Figueiredo, Dvalishvili publicly complimented the Russian fighter, saying, “He looked damn good all five rounds. I’m excited to fight him again…. He is the most deserving fight now in the bantamweight division. Let’s go. Yan vs Merab 2.”

This comment came in at a time when Nurmagomedov has been eager for the bantamweight title shot for a long time, intensifying the tension in the division. Umar couldn’t resist taking a shot. He wrote on X, “If I were him, I wouldn’t want to fight me either.”

Nurmagomedov further dismissed the champion’s comments, asserting there’s no point in discussing a fight if Dvalishvili isn’t ready to face him. Despite the mounting tension, Dvalishvili has yet to respond specifically on this topic, making it increasingly evident that a fight with Nurmagomedov is unlikely in the immediate future. Instead, his admiration for Yan has sparked speculation about a potential rematch between the two.

With ‘The Machine’ seemingly focused on Yan, the question remains: will fans see Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2, or will Nurmagomedov force his way into the title picture? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!