Henry Cejudo thinks it is too early to rank Petr Yan above every other bantamweight in UFC history.

Yan retained the UFC bantamweight title by beating Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 333 on October 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. All three judges scored the fight 48-47. Dvalishvili won the first two rounds on all three scorecards before Yan took over, stopping most of his takedowns and battering him in the fifth round. Dvalishvili attempted a UFC single-fight record 56 takedowns but completed only five.

The win gave Yan a 2-1 edge in the trilogy. Dvalishvili won their first fight by decision in March 2023, and Yan took the title from him at UFC 323 in December 2025. Dvalishvili had been part of the conversation as the best bantamweight ever before losing twice in a row to Yan, and some fans have since put Yan in that conversation instead.

Cejudo believes that is happening too fast. Speaking on his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman, as reported by MMA Junkie, the former two-division champion argued fans are reacting too quickly to Yan’s latest win.

“Petr Yan just defeated Merab Dvalishvili, and now everybody’s saying that with one title defense, he’s the greatest bantamweight of all time,” Cejudo said. “I mean, we have Dominick Cruz, we have Aljamain Sterling who beat him twice, we have T.J. ‘Eposhaw’ (Dillashaw) that’s in there. I mean, there’s a lot of people that have way more title defenses, and I think that’s too premature. He’s going to have to catch up to the numbers of what Merab, Aljo, Dominick Cruz or T.J. has done in the bantamweight division.”

Cejudo still gave Yan credit for how difficult he is to beat over five rounds. “In a five-round fight against Petr, it’s going to be hard for these dudes to take him out. That’s why I’m excited to see where the bantamweight division is actually going to go,” he said. “But when it comes to you’re only as good as your last, people throw that s*** out there super quick.

“Yan is good, but if he can hit up those numbers like (Alexander) Volkanovski just did to surpass Jose Aldo (at featherweight), then that just becomes different. It’s not fair to say somebody is the greatest just because he beat Merab and Merab’s getting f–king older. There’s a lot to the equation.”

What Henry Cejudo’s Comments Mean for Petr Yan

Three straight successful defenses is the bantamweight high-water mark, and both Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling reached it. Dominick Cruz, T.J. Dillashaw and Renan Barao also defended the belt three times each, though not all in a row. Yan’s win over Dvalishvili at UFC 333 was the first successful defense of his career.

Yan first won the bantamweight title by beating Jose Aldo in 2020. He lost it to Sterling by disqualification in 2021 for an illegal knee, and Sterling beat him again by split decision in their 2022 rematch. Cejudo also has history in the division. He won the bantamweight title in 2019 and later lost to Sterling in a title fight in 2023.

Cejudo makes a fair point. Yan’s two straight wins over Dvalishvili are impressive, especially against a fighter who was on a long winning streak and holding the title, but one title defense is a short resume compared to the fighters he is being measured against. Cruz, Dillashaw, Barao, Sterling, and Dvalishvili all held the belt through several defenses, and Yan has not yet matched that.

Yan’s recent results still carry weight. He took the title from Dvalishvili with a clear decision in December 2025, then came back from losing the first two rounds at UFC 333 to win the trilogy fight. Yan has also not lost since his first fight with Dvalishvili in March 2023, and he now leads their series 2-1.

The GOAT debate will depend on what comes next. If Yan can put together two or three more defenses, the numbers Cejudo pointed to will start to favor him. Until then, he belongs in the conversation, but not at the top of it.