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Where We Stand: Bantamweight Division | December 2025
Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan Defeated Merab Dvalishvili To Reclaim Gold At UFC 323, Setting Up A Crowded Chase For The Throne Entering 2026
Although Merab Dvalishvili still holds pole position for 2025’s Fighter of the Year, he came up short in his quest for four title defenses in a calendar year. At UFC 323, Petr Yan exacted his revenge on the Georgian to become the third two-time UFC bantamweight champion.
“No Mercy” looked at his highly-skillful best in Las Vegas, and he now heads into 2026 with a group of contenders eager to jockey their way into a shot at the newly minted champion.
READ: Where We Stand: Flyweight Division
This is where we stand in the bantamweight division:
Champion: Petr Yan
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Merab Dvalishvili (12/6/2025)
Next fight: N/A
Petr Yan Post-Fight Interview | UFC 323
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Petr Yan Post-Fight Interview | UFC 323
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Outlook: Over four years and eight fights since he lost the undisputed bantamweight title, Yan reached the mountaintop once again with a virtuosic performance to dethrone Dvalishvili. The 32-year-old looked like his crafty and dangerous self in all areas of the fight, and he has a gang of options ahead of his second reign. A trilogy fight with Dvalishvili is always going to be on the table, but he could also take on rematches against Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen (should they snatch another top-level win). A fight with Umar Nurmagomedov is supremely interesting, and is probably the most likely challenger not named Dvalishvili.
1) Merab Dvalishvili
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Loss vs Petr Yan (12/6/2025)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: “The Machine” couldn’t make history with a fourth title defense in 2025, but he remains one of the favorites for Fighter of the Year. The Georgian fought valiantly against Yan but never got the best parts of his game going in earnest. Considering how dominant he was as champion, however, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dvalishvili thrown right back into a title fight. If he doesn’t, he owns wins over the next three fighters in the rankings, so he could face Song Yadong should the “Kung Fu Kid” beat O’Malley at UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett.
2) Umar Nurmagomedov
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Mario Bautista (10/18/2025)
Next fight: vs Deiveson Figueiredo (1/24/2025)
Outlook: Nurmagomedov looked sharp as ever when he bounced back against Mario Bautista in October, and he was adamant about staying active heading into 2026. He got his wish and is set to fight former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324, where a win over the Brazilian could cement him as the top contender in the division despite losing a close fight to Dvalishvili at UFC 311. If he can secure that victory, he has a quality shout at the next title shot, especially if, for one reason or another, Dvalishvili cannot go for a trilogy bout early in 2026.
3) Sean O’Malley
Last Fight: Submission Loss vs Merab Dvalishvili (6/1/2025)
Next fight: vs Song Yadong (1/24/2026)
Outlook: “Suga” got new life when Dvalishvili lost to Yan. Not only does he no longer need to face a man who beat him twice to win the belt, he holds a split decision win over the current champion. That result remains one of the more debated scorecards of the last few years, so the narrative is right there for O’Malley. First, he'd need to dispatch Song in January 2026, even if Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov are in the mix as well.
4) Cory Sandhagen
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Loss vs Merab Dvalishvili (10/2/2025)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: Despite his best efforts, Sandhagen succumbed to “The Machine” in his first shot at the undisputed title. The 33-year-old remains one of the top bantamweights in the world, but he's also lost to three of the four fighters above him. On the bright side, a fight with O’Malley remains one fans are desperate to see, and his interim title fight with Yan from October 2021 was one of the best scraps of that year, so a rematch could be in play if Sandhagen can secure a win or two in 2026. He may have to fight down in the rankings, even with a win over Song. Someone like Aiemann Zahabi could be in the mix for Sandhagen early in 2026.
5) Song Yadong
Last Fight: Technical Decision Win vs Henry Cejudo (2/28/2025)
Next fight: vs Sean O’Malley (1/24/2026)
Outlook: It remains wild Song is still just 28 years old. He wasn’t able to build momentum after his win over Henry Cejudo in Seattle, but his fight with O’Malley could finally be the one that gets him over the hump and into the title picture.
In the Mix: Aiemann Zahabi, David Martinez, Payton Talbott
Outlook: Although the bantamweight division is largely considered one of the deeper weight divisions in the UFC, the bottom-half of the rankings was due for a bit of a turnover. At first glance, the 38-year-old Aiemann Zahabi doesn’t exactly scream “new face,” but he is a real riser in the division after collecting seven wins in a row, including decision wins over José Aldo and Marlon “Chito” Vera in 2025. The Canadian is due a big-time matchup of some form or another.
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Meanwhile, two newer and younger faces in the rankings are 27-yaer-olds David Martinez and Payton Talbott. Martinez broke into the rankings off a short-notice win over Rob Font at Noche UFC, his second win since earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in October 2024. The Mexico-born prospect could continue his fast-track up the rankings with the right wins in 2026.
Fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus Talbott turned in his best performance to-date at UFC 323, as he battered former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in “Triple C's” final fight. It was quite the bounce-back for Talbott who started 2025 suffering his first professional defeat to Raoni Barcelos. The polarizing and tantalizing prospect did well for himself in a decision win over Felipe Lima, and it seems as though he has more momentum than ever heading into 2026.
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