Athletes
PETR YAN AIMING TO SECURE CHAMPIONSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Former Bantamweight Titleholder Hopes Third Straight Win Earns Him Another Chance To Challenge For UFC Gold
Over a two-year-and-five day stretch between March 6, 2021 and March 11, 2023, Petr Yan made five trips into the Octagon, only walking out victorious one time.
The first loss in the sequence came by disqualification and cost him the bantamweight title, with his lone triumph following a few months later, when he claimed the interim title by defeating Cory Sandhagen. That win set up a rematch with Aljamain Sterling to determine who would reign as the undisputed champion of the 135-pound weight class, with the “FunkMaster” landing on the favorable side of a split decision verdict.
A similar result followed six months later, as Yan again fell on the wrong side of a split decision result in his competitive clash with “Suga” Sean O’Malley at UFC 280 before he ran afoul of Merab Dvalishvili, losing all five rounds of their main event clash as the Georgian continued his march towards the top of the division.
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“Me, personally, I don’t think I had three losses,” Yan said via translator on Monday when asked about the rough patch ahead of his bout this weekend in Abu Dhabi against Marcus McGhee. “I beat Sean O’Malley, decisively. I had a close fight with Aljamain Sterling that I think that I won, and the only fight I lost was against Merab, and I had reasons for a performance like that.
“So, myself, I never thought that I had three losses.”
Whether he agrees with the outcomes and sees the first two of those contests as setbacks or not, they’re registered as such on his record and contributed to fans and pundits being forced to wonder aloud if the former champion’s time as an elite competitor in the talent-rich bantamweight division had come to an abrupt halt as he prepared to kick off his 2024 campaign in Miami at UFC 299.
Now 16 months later, those questions have been answered, and the 32-year-old Russian is very much in the thick of the championship chase as he prepares to make his first appearance of 2025 on Saturday at Etihad Arena.
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“Overall, I’m glad with my performances,” he said of his tandem decision wins last year that reinforced that he’s still every bit as dangerous and capable as he was during his initial ascent to the top of the division. “I was able to beat a prospect in Song Yadong and a former champion in Deiveson Figueiredo, so I showed that I’m still on that level, that I’m still dangerous, and I can compete.
“I hope that my win this weekend will confirm and guarantee that I’m next for the title shot.”
Before he can lock in a championship opportunity — or at least make his case for one — Yan has to contend with McGhee this weekend, in a pairing that caught many by surprise when it was first announced.
Seldom do competitors separated by 10 spots in the rankings share the Octagon together, but that will be the case on Saturday when the third-ranked Yan stands opposite the 13th-ranked McGhee, who has posted four wins in as many starts to begin his UFC tenure.
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After earning finishes and Performance of the Night bonuses in each of his first three outings, the 35-year-old MMA Lab representative went the distance with Jonathan Martinez in his most recent appearance at UFC 309, banking the first two rounds on all three scorecards before conceding the final frame to the “Dragon” and exiting Madison Square Garden with his winning streak intact.
“What’s the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people?” Yan asked in response to a question about the perceived high risk, low reward nature of this weekend’s penultimate main card clash. “Successful people took some risks, and I’m the one who always takes the risks.
“All year, my position has been to stay active,” continued the Russian standout, who carries an 18-5 mark into his fourth appearance at Etihad Arena. “The UFC offered me a fight against Umar (Nurmagomedov) in Azerbaijan for five rounds, a fight that I accepted, but for other reasons, Umar turned it down.
“The other offer was McGhee, so I said yes.”
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No matter how you frame the contest, it’s undeniable that McGhee has more to gain with a victory on Saturday than Yan, as “The Maniac” is only a little more than two years into his UFC career and facing a Top 10 opponent for the first time. While a victory would catapult him into the top tier of contenders and a new level of recognition, a dominant showing is largely expected of Yan this weekend, and anything less will — fairly or not — be viewed as a letdown.
But with ambitions of securing another championship opportunity propelling him forward, Yan intends to do his best to make sure that is what follows by effectively handling his business and extending his winning streak to three.
“I can say that he’s an unorthodox fighter who prefers to strike,” he began when asked about his opponent. “He tries to do a lot of things, but I don’t see anything special,” adding “I really hope so” when asked if he foresees himself earning a title shot with a win this weekend.
“I just don’t see anybody else who is higher ranked than me, who deserves it more than me.”
It’s sound logic, and if everything goes as he anticipates, it could put him in a position for a potential rematch with Dvalishvili.
There was tension between the two heading into their first encounter in March 2023, and “The Machine” has continued to roll through the competition in his four outings since, ultimately winning the title from O’Malley last year at UFC 306 before posting a pair of successful title defenses against Nurmagomedov and the colorful former champion already this year.
For Yan, the chance to fight for the title again is his main priority, and if it’s Dvalishvilli that he gets to face in that scenario, that’s just an added bonus, and a chance for him to show how a fight between the two would go when he’s able to perform at 100 percent.
“My main motivation is the belt, and if Merab is the one holding the belt, it’s just a bonus,” he answered when asked about his desire to run it back with Dvalishvili. “It will be great, and I just want to check my skills and myself against him when I’m at my best. I think my last fight with him, I was only at 50 percent.”
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs De Ridder took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 26, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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