Petr Yan
No Mercy
Russia
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.
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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.
Snaps three-fight losing streak
Yan defeated Yadong Song via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC 299 on Saturday in Miami.
ANALYSIS
Yan entered this fight having lost three in a row and was again in all sorts of trouble, down a round to Song. Yet, as we have seen time and time again from Petr, he battled through a difficult situation and emerged victorious. There wasn't one single thing Yan did to turn this fight around. He didn't land one notable power shot that turned the tide or score a big takedown which led to ground control time. Instead, he got aggressive and made it ugly. Song slowing down definitely helped, but Yan would have been on his way to his fourth straight defeat had he not made a concerted effort to turn the tide. It's important to remember that those three previously mentioned losses came against a former champion in Aljamain Sterling, a current champion in Sean O'Malley and a guy in Merab Dvalishvili that many think is the best bantamweight in the world. Yan is still a player at the top of the 135-pound division.
Yan entered this fight having lost three in a row and was again in all sorts of trouble, down a round to Song. Yet, as we have seen time and time again from Petr, he battled through a difficult situation and emerged victorious. There wasn't one single thing Yan did to turn this fight around. He didn't land one notable power shot that turned the tide or score a big takedown which led to ground control time. Instead, he got aggressive and made it ugly. Song slowing down definitely helped, but Yan would have been on his way to his fourth straight defeat had he not made a concerted effort to turn the tide. It's important to remember that those three previously mentioned losses came against a former champion in Aljamain Sterling, a current champion in Sean O'Malley and a guy in Merab Dvalishvili that many think is the best bantamweight in the world. Yan is still a player at the top of the 135-pound division.
Books match with Yadong Song
The UFC announced Sunday that Yan is scheduled to face Yadong Song in a bantamweight fight at UFC 299 in Miami on March 9.
ANALYSIS
Following consecutive losses to the UFC's current top-three bantamweights, Yan will fight a rising contender next. Song, currently ranked No. 7 in the UFC's bantamweight division, won each of his last two fights. By defeating him, Yan would keep himself immediately relevant in the weight class' championship picture.
Following consecutive losses to the UFC's current top-three bantamweights, Yan will fight a rising contender next. Song, currently ranked No. 7 in the UFC's bantamweight division, won each of his last two fights. By defeating him, Yan would keep himself immediately relevant in the weight class' championship picture.