Outlook: The peculiar case of Petr Yan continues. The illegal knee he threw against Sterling remains one of the biggest “what ifs” in recent memory, considering his dominant run to the title. Since then, he has lost three in a row. It says something about his strength of schedule and quality of performances that he remains in the Top 5 without any real controversy. However, he is obviously in desperate need of a win. Fights against Vera, Rob Font or Song Yadong all make sense, as does one against Cejudo if the former two-division champ is indeed staying around.
In the Mix: Marlon Vera, Rob Font, Yadong Song, Umar Nurmagomedov
Outlook: Bantamweight is probably the deepest division in the UFC at the moment. Little separates the Top 15 and those on the fringe, and there are truly no straightforward, easy fights. Dominant and entertaining win streaks aren’t enough to get a shot at the title, as Vera learned, and he hopes to bounce back from a disappointing outing against Sandhagen. Fights against Yan and Font make sense for him, and if O’Malley gets past Sterling, there is plenty of narrative there.
For Font, the New England Cartel representative emphatically earned a must-win fight against the surging Adrian Yanez to cement himself in the outer ring of the title picture for the time being. After tough losses to José Aldo and Vera, he needed a big result, and a first-round KO was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Speaking of bounce-back wins, Song Yadong did as much in his fifth-round knockout win over Ricky Simon. It was exactly the kind of performance that you want to see from a younger fighter, especially coming off a loss where he was competitive but not as impressive. He is likely China’s best chance at a male champion right now, and he showed as much against Simon.
On the outside looking in is Umar Nurmagomedov. “Cousin Umar” is a fight few people seem eager to take, but he is an immensely intriguing test for everyone in the Top 10.