Petr Yan
No Mercy
Russia
Going after title
Yan will face Merab Dvalishvili on Dec. 6 at UFC 323, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Yan will look to dethrone the current bantamweight title holder, Merab Dvalishvili, at UFC 323. Yan enters the match on the back of three consecutive victories, and two straight since rupturing his ACL in March of 2024.
Yan will look to dethrone the current bantamweight title holder, Merab Dvalishvili, at UFC 323. Yan enters the match on the back of three consecutive victories, and two straight since rupturing his ACL in March of 2024.
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Secures third straight win
Yan defeated Marcus McGhee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
Full marks to Yan for accepting this fight against a talented opponent in which he had nothing to gain from a rankings standpoint. As is typically the case, Yan got stronger as the fight progressed. He closed with an 81-64 edge in terms of significant strikes landed, in addition to picking up the only successful takedown of the bout. McGhee landed more than his fair share of damaging blows, but Yan would simply return fire and connect with multiple-punch combinations. The 32-year-old lost three in a row from April 2022 to March 2023, but has rebounded with three straight wins since. Yan is firmly in the title picture at 135 pounds.
Full marks to Yan for accepting this fight against a talented opponent in which he had nothing to gain from a rankings standpoint. As is typically the case, Yan got stronger as the fight progressed. He closed with an 81-64 edge in terms of significant strikes landed, in addition to picking up the only successful takedown of the bout. McGhee landed more than his fair share of damaging blows, but Yan would simply return fire and connect with multiple-punch combinations. The 32-year-old lost three in a row from April 2022 to March 2023, but has rebounded with three straight wins since. Yan is firmly in the title picture at 135 pounds.
Rising contender next
Yan is scheduled to compete against Marcus McGhee in a bantamweight fight at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
In the UFC's bantamweight rankings, Yan ranks behind only Sean O'Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov. Both of their latest fights were losses to Merab Dvalishvili, and neither currently seems ready for the Russian. So instead, he will compete against a rising contender, currently with a 4-0 UFC record. Yan's latest fight is a win over Deiveson Figueiredo.
In the UFC's bantamweight rankings, Yan ranks behind only Sean O'Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov. Both of their latest fights were losses to Merab Dvalishvili, and neither currently seems ready for the Russian. So instead, he will compete against a rising contender, currently with a 4-0 UFC record. Yan's latest fight is a win over Deiveson Figueiredo.
Flawless return from injury
Yan defeated Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Macau, China.
ANALYSIS
It was announced in March that Yan was expected to be out for the remainder of 2024 after undergoing surgery for a ruptured ACL. Not only is he back by the end of November, but he's sweeping a talented opponent like Figueiredo on the scorecards without issue. Yan got off to a quick start, closing Round 1 with a 42-1 edge in terms of total strikes landed. The final count was 190-53 in Yan's favor. Built like a tank and always aggressive, Yan excels in five-round fights. Figueiredo, on the other hand, is a sprinter who isn't built for championship rounds. Once Yan got past the early rounds it was smooth sailing. The winner of two in a row, Yan is firmly in the title conversation despite the fact he somehow lost three straight from April 2022 to March 2023.
It was announced in March that Yan was expected to be out for the remainder of 2024 after undergoing surgery for a ruptured ACL. Not only is he back by the end of November, but he's sweeping a talented opponent like Figueiredo on the scorecards without issue. Yan got off to a quick start, closing Round 1 with a 42-1 edge in terms of total strikes landed. The final count was 190-53 in Yan's favor. Built like a tank and always aggressive, Yan excels in five-round fights. Figueiredo, on the other hand, is a sprinter who isn't built for championship rounds. Once Yan got past the early rounds it was smooth sailing. The winner of two in a row, Yan is firmly in the title conversation despite the fact he somehow lost three straight from April 2022 to March 2023.
Set for Figgy fight
Yan (knee) is scheduled to compete against Deiveson Figueiredo in a bantamweight fight at UFC Macau on Nov. 23, per Mike Heck of MMA Fighting.
ANALYSIS
Previously expected to sit out the remainder of 2024, Yan will instead fight once more before it ends. He suffered a ruptured ACL during his bout against Yadong Song at UFC 299. However, Yan won then, ending a three-fight losing streak in which all of his opponents were champions for the promotion. Once again, he is competing against a former UFC champ at flyweight and one that has gone 3-0 since moving to bantamweight.
Previously expected to sit out the remainder of 2024, Yan will instead fight once more before it ends. He suffered a ruptured ACL during his bout against Yadong Song at UFC 299. However, Yan won then, ending a three-fight losing streak in which all of his opponents were champions for the promotion. Once again, he is competing against a former UFC champ at flyweight and one that has gone 3-0 since moving to bantamweight.
Set for major knee surgery
Yan suffered a ruptured ACL among other injuries in his UFC 299 victory over Yadong Song, Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
As a result, Yan is set to undergo surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2024 calendar year. It's an incredibly tough break, as Yan had moved up to No. 4 in the UFC bantamweight rankings after snapping a a three-fight skid (that was against elite competition). Yan will likely look to avenge his loss to current champion Sean O'Malley at some point down the road, though it remains to be seen if O'Malley will still hold the belt by the time Yan is healthy. Even if that's the case, Yan would still likely be a win or two away from a title shot.
As a result, Yan is set to undergo surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2024 calendar year. It's an incredibly tough break, as Yan had moved up to No. 4 in the UFC bantamweight rankings after snapping a a three-fight skid (that was against elite competition). Yan will likely look to avenge his loss to current champion Sean O'Malley at some point down the road, though it remains to be seen if O'Malley will still hold the belt by the time Yan is healthy. Even if that's the case, Yan would still likely be a win or two away from a title shot.