After chopping down most of the top contenders in the UFC's bantamweight division, champion Merab Dvalishvili is backing a Canadian's case to challenge him next.
In speaking to Sportsnet's Aaron Bronsteter on Tuesday, the Georgian champ mentioned Montreal's Aiemann Zahabi right away when asked about potential future fights for the 135-pound title, saying "I think my next challenge could be Zahabi, he's coming off a long win streak ... that would make a good fight.
"He's a warrior, I think he has a lot of experience. He fights until the end. He's a new style, new opponent and new challenge. That's why I'm interested."
Zahabi has won seven consecutive bouts, dating back to a first-round KO win over Drako Rodriquez in 2021.
The 38-year-old punctuated that run with a pair of impressive victories in 2025, both over Brazilian icons. First, Zahabi sent Hall of Famer Jose Aldo back into retirement with a unanimous decision victory at UFC 315 in Montreal, and then the Canadian outlasted Marlon Vera — a former title challenger, currently ranked eighth in the division — via split decision in October.
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Merab Dvalishvili defends his bantamweight title against Petr Yan and flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja faces Joshua Van in the co-main event. Watch UFC 323 on Saturday, Dec. 6, with prelim coverage beginning 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and pay-per-view main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
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Zahabi holds a 14-2-0 record (8-2-0 in the UFC) and has not lost inside an octagon since 2019. He's now the No. 7-ranked bantamweight under the banner and the highest-ranked male Canadian fighter on the roster.
The UFC has yet to schedule Zahabi's next fight at this point in time.
As for Dvalishvili, he's already got his hands full with a title defence bout against former 135-pound champ Petr Yan in the main event of UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. It'll be the second matchup between the two — Dvalishvili took the first matchup via unanimous decision two years ago.
If Dvalishvili comes out victorious — marking his third consecutive title defence — the timing would presumably favour Zahabi's chances of taking on the champ next, and the Canadian knows it.
"I feel like it kind of works out in my benefit," Zahabi said during an appearance on The Bohnfire podcast Tuesday. "All I need is for Merab to win on Saturday. I've never really rooted for another bantamweight other than on my team to win, but I feel like if he wins, I may be next.
"Because everyone else is fighting in January, Merab wants to fight every three, four months. Who else is going to be ready for him in March? I feel like it kind of leaves it wide open, because everyone else he's beaten except for (Deiveson) Figueiredo, I think. And Song (Yadong). It's me, Figueiredo and Song are the only ones who haven't fought yet. Plus, my seven-fight winning streak? There's some value there."
