Aiman Zahabi confirms winner of his fight determines Petr Yan's next opponent

Aiman Zahabi has confirmed that his upcoming fight with Sean O'Malley will determine who faces Petr Yan next. The winner of the Zahabi-O'Malley bout will move forward to challenge the former bantamweight champion. This announcement clarifies the matchmaking picture in the bantamweight division and gives both Zahabi and O'Malley significant stakes in their contest. Yan has been awaiting his next opponent after recent activity in the division. The post also references fan interest in potentially seeing Yan face Merab Dvalishvili instead, though that does not appear to be the current plan.