Dana White reveals plans for bantamweight division following Henry Cejudo retirement

UFC president Dana White has revealed his plans for the bantamweight division following the sudden retirement of champion Henry Cejudo.

“Triple C” announced his retirement in shocking fashion just moments after knocking out Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of UFC 249. It was another massive win on the resume of Cejudo, who has now defeated the likes of Cruz, Demetrious Johnson, and TJ Dillashaw. So when he announced his retirement right after the fight, it came as a shock to everyone watching, though White says Cejudo had recently told the UFC he was thinking about it.

Speaking to the media following UFC 249, White said that with Cejudo retiring, the UFC bantamweight division will need to crown a new champion. According to White, top contender Petr Yan will get the opportunity to fight for the belt next.

Dana White says a new bantamweight champion will be crowned soon.

It will be @PetrYanUFC vs. somebody. Dana says the matchmakers will figure that out next week#UFC249

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) May 10, 2020

Dana White says a new bantamweight champion will be crowned soon. It will be @PetrYanUFC vs. somebody. Dana says the matchmakers will figure that out next week #UFC249

Yan is one of the top contenders in the UFC bantamweight division at the moment and after knocking out Urijah Faber at UFC 245 he has proven he should be fighting for a belt next. Yan was set to fight Marlon Moraes in the main event of UFC Kazakhstan but the card was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s possible that Yan could be re-booked against Moraes for the belt once again, but other top contenders such as Cory Sandhagen and Aljamain Sterling are right there in regards to getting a title shot. As well, former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo could also be in the mix, as could other former champs like Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt. But if we are to believe White, then Yan will at least be 50 percent of the next title fight’s equation.

Assuming what Dana White says is correct, who do you want Petr Yan to fight for the UFC bantamweight title?