Athletes
Petr Yan Is A Man Reborn
Former Champion Petr Yan Knows He Has Every Reason To Make A Bid For A Title Shot At UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo
When you consider the absolute rollercoaster Petr Yan has been on since joining the roster, it’s quite surprising that the former champion is still just 31 years old. “No Mercy” has gone through enough to fill a whole career, from stints as the undisputed and interim bantamweight champion to wins over several legends like Urijah Faber and José Aldo to the downs of a three-fight losing streak and a couple of unfortunate and controversial results. Yan has run the full gamut when it comes to a mixed martial arts career.
His latest outing provided more of the same. With his back against the wall and on a three-fight, two-year losing skid, Yan thwarted Song Yadong at UFC 299 and re-establish himself in the bantamweight title picture.
Getting gold wrapped around his waist is of paramount importance, and he sees a simple distinguishing factor between his initial run to the top of the division compared with what he hopes is his next run.
Order UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura
“I believe I matured,” Yan told UFC.com. “Mentally, I’m on a different level now. It’s going to be a more serious approach now.”
The mental transformation is all well and good, but Yan has always just needed results. Even during his stretch from March 2021 to March 2024, one could argue he only lost one fight. Yes, he got infamously got disqualified in his first title defense against Aljamain Sterling, but it was inarguable that he was leading the dance. One could also conceivably argue — and Yan is of this belief as well — that he should’ve gotten the nod on the scorecards against Sterling in the rematch, as well as against Sean O’Malley at UFC 280.
All that is water under the bridge, and the fact that Yan remains in and around the title picture is a testament to the general belief in his skills and talents.
His win over Yadong wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies, though. He suffered a knee injury in the victory and was forced to rehab and recover rather than get back into the Octagon and continue his modicum of momentum. That said, the mental fortitude required to come out of the process the same or better speaks to the elite athlete that he is.
UFC Macau Full Fight Card Preview
“(Fighters) are different from everyone else,” he said. “Being able to overcome this obstacle, that’s how you differentiate between being a challenger and a champion (laughs).”
Despite the results on his record, Yan has all the confidence in the world that he can compete with the best at 135 pounds.
Petr Yan | Greatest Hits
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Petr Yan | Greatest Hits
/
Figueiredo is the latest target in his sights, and despite the former flyweight champion’s resurgence since moving up 10 pounds, Yan doesn’t exactly see the decorated opponent as anything more than the next body in line.
“I don’t see a big difference since he switched divisions,” he said. “He has an unorthodox style. He has really strong sides that he used to get the wins, but I don’t see anything too special.”
RELATED: Deiveson Figueiredo Macau Interview
If anything, Yan is eager to get five rounds and 25 minutes to work. Yan is notorious—or famous, depending on who you ask— for downloading information to start the fight before taking over in the subsequent rounds. The extended time to work only works in his favor, hypothetically.
That said, Yan doesn’t change his approach all that much. Metamorphosizing one’s approach to match the time to work is just part of the fight game, and as much will be on display on November 23.
He does enjoy being back in the headlining spot, however, and he is excited to see how the Macanese crowd will respond to their first UFC event in a decade.
“I’m just going to enjoy the moment,” Yan said. “I’m going to look at the crowd, look at the arena. There is a lot of fans from around the world who came here to support me, so I will be just focused and excited and in the moment.”
MORE UFC MACAU: Oezdemir Interview | Co-Main Spotlight | Ulberg Ready | Ricci Interview | Diaz Interview | Rising Stars In Macau
All in all, Yan believes the fight with Figueiredo is undoubtedly a No. 1 contender situation. It’s a little trickier for him considering the champion, Merab Dvalishivili, bested him in a five-round effort in March 2023, but an argument can be made in his favor should he win. Dvalishvili, despite Umar Nurmagomedov’s ascendence, has expressed interest in fighting Figueiredo, so one could assume a win over him would do gangbusters for Yan’s title shot hopes.
It's all to play for when Yan makes the walk in Galaxy Arena. Not every fighter can count themselves as fortunate, but Yan’s skills speak for themselves. Sure, he is 2-4 in his last six, but anyone who knows anything about fighting knows he should absolutely be in and around the elite shark pit that is the bantamweight Top 5. His headliner against Figueiredo stands to become another example of that, and it all adds up to a chance to get UFC gold wrapped around his waist once again.
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo took place live from Galaxy Arena in Macau, China on November 23, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!