Issue 179
June 2019
The UFC bantamweight division is arguably one of the most talent-rich in the world and with Tj Dillashaw recently vacating the title, the door has opened for a new man to reign supreme at 135-pounds.
UFC Bantamweight
Age: 26,
Record: 12-1-0,
Team: Tiger Muay Thai & MMA,
From: Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.
UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo will attempt to become only the third man in UFC history to hold two titles at the same time when he faces Marlon Moraes for the vacant title at UFC 238, but waiting in wings there is no shortage of contenders to face the new champion in Chicago.
One of the men who will be looking to guarantee his own shot at the belt later this year is Petr Yan.
The Russian has looked dominant in all of his four outings in the UFC Octagon since debuting in June 2018 and he has certainly lived up to the hype that he carried with him from his early career days fighting in the Russian based promotion ACB (now known as ACA).
Yan made his debut at UFC Fight Night 132 in Singapore where he made light work of the experienced Japanese fighter, Teruto Ishihara, finishing him inside the first round after knocking him down twice and then putting him away in clinical fashion on the mat.
Less than three months later, Yan then defeated Jin Soo Son at UFC Fight Night 136 and picked up his first UFC bonus after the two went toe-to-toe in an exciting three-round affair that was later given ‘Fight of the Night’ honors.
Yan then capped a perfect 2018 when he stopped Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC 232 after the Brazilian’s corner decided to pull their fighter out of the contest before the start of the final round after Yan had totally outclassed him in the opening ten minutes.
With the wind his sails, Yan kicked off 2019 by defeating former title contender John Dodson at UFC Fight Night 145 with another impressive performance that saw him walk away with a dominant unanimous decision victory.
In just eight short months, Yan had moved himself up to number nine in the official UFC rankings and with the champion Dillashaw stepping away from the title in April after failing a post fight USADA test stemming from his fight with Cejudo in January, the Russian knows he’s given himself a great platform to springboard himself into title contention.
“I’m very glad with the start of my UFC career and I don’t really think it could have gone any better,” Yan reasons. “I was able to get four wins inside just eight months, I beat two ranked opponents and got one Fight of the Night bonus.
“I’m totally satisfied with the way things are and I wouldn’t do anything differently. My only problem now is that it’s difficult for me to get opponents. After I beat Dodson I entered the top ten of the division so it only makes sense that I fight someone higher than me next. Until recently that was proving very difficult to make happen though.”
One man who didn’t say no to fighting Yan was Jimmie Rivera. The two will meet on the undercard of UFC 238 when Cejudo faces Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title, but before Rivera accepted the bout, Yan claims that plenty of other contenders in the UFC bantamweight division wanted no part of him. It’s something that the Russian has had difficulty getting his head around.
“Ever since my first fight in UFC I’ve had potential opponents who have turned down fighting me,” Yan explains. “This is something I will never do. I believe that if you’re ranked lower and you turn down a fight with someone who is higher, then you should not be in the rankings at all.
“Also, if you’re ranked higher but coming off of a loss, you should have to accept the challenge from someone lower in the rankings to prove you deserve to be placed higher,” he continues. “There are too many fighters just playing games when really they should be looking to climb the rankings and get to the top of the division. I don’t understand their mentality.”
Despite signing a new four-fight deal just before his last fight against Dodson, the UFC moved quickly to secure the Russian for a longer period following his victory over the former The Ultimate Fighter champion. With the ink now fresh on his new deal, Yan is looking to get himself firmly in the UFC bantamweight title picture and it appears that the UFC is on the same page as he is.
“I’m very happy with the terms of my new six-fight contract that it also includes a championship clause, which was very important for me,” Yan says. “I firmly believe that my performances and the work of my management made that happen and I can tell that the UFC is interested in rewarding me.
“I know there are different ways to get the title shot, but I think we are moving in the right direction and doing a very good job,” he continues. “I’m destroying one opponent after another and my actions speak for themselves. If needed I can clean out the whole division to fight for the UFC title and I’m not afraid to do that. Everything is happening for a reason. The sleeping fox catches no chicken. I just want to fight."
If Yan does go on to get a title shot in the near future, it looks unlikely that the man standing across the Octagon from him will be Dillashaw. The former champion’s failed drug test earlier this year drew widespread criticism throughout the MMA community but it’s not something that Yan has allowed himself to dwell on. As far as he’s concerned, the situation raises suspicion and if Dillashaw is guilty then he’s no longer worth thinking about as he will not be in title contention any time soon.
“I didn’t think too much about the TJ situation,” Yan says nonchalantly. “I don’t know if he is taking something or not, but I believe he wouldn’t vacate his title if he was completely innocent. I’m sure a lot of people lost respect for him, but it’s not very important for me.
“If you are taking PEDs it means you are mentally weak and not confident in your skills,” he continues. “To be honest though it’s not really my concern now he’s not the champion.”
Whilst Yan’s sole focus now lies on claiming the UFC title, it wasn’t all that long ago that he was in ACB taking on some of the best fighters that Russia has to offer. His epic showdowns with his fellow Russian rival, Magomed Magomedov got recognition worldwide, but despite the series being tied at one apiece, he has no interest in a rubber match.
“I forgot about Magomed a long while ago,” Yan argues. “Everyone who saw the first fight knows that I won it just like I did the first time I fought him. That’s why I really don’t care about him, about what he wants and dreams about.
“I will never forget what fighting in ACB did for me though,” he continues. “I think my performances in the UFC have shown so far that there is a very high level of mixed martial arts in Russia. Of course, I think there’s some gap between the two organizations, but we (Russia) have a lot of strong fighters with versatile styles and it will be only a matter of time until more ACB/ACA fighters will make their way to the UFC and do big things.”
Another former ACB champion doing well in the UFC right now is Zabit Magomedsharipov who has worked his way up to number six in the UFC featherweight rankings. Having picked up his fifth win inside the UFC Octagon by defeating veteran Jeremy Stephens at UFC 235, Magomedsharipov has put himself amongst the title talk at 145-pounds.
With both former ACB fighters making quick progress up the UFC rankings, it’s not out of the question that the two could both be holding UFC gold in the near future. However, a potential champion vs. champion showdown between the pair is not something that Yan is considering and a move up to featherweight isn’t currently on his radar.
“Right now I’m totally focused on bantamweight and I don’t have plans in moving up the weight class,” Yan reasons. “My main goal is to win the title and defend it for a long time.
“I want to make big money for my family and my close ones,” he continues. “This is my biggest motivation and the main reason why I’m doing it. I’m not in this to be famous and I don’t care about anything else other than securing the future of my family. I’m sure titles will come with that, but it’s not my main source of motivation.”
Yan’s motivations may reside in building a good future for his family, but his passion for MMA shouldn’t be doubted. Building a legacy and making sure people remember him for a long time after he has hung up the 4-oz. gloves will remain at the forefront of his mind and he knows that to achieve this he cannot just try to replicate the accomplishments or personality of any other fighter before.
Staying true to himself and treading his own path is what Yan believes will lead to him creating a unique legacy that will forever put him in the MMA history books.
“I really love the sport and I’ve been doing sports since I was little kid,” Yan reflects. “When I did boxing I really liked and looked up to boxers like Kostya Tszyu, Roy Jones Jr., Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, but right now in MMA, I’m not trying to be like anyone else.
“I’m trying to be myself,” he continues. “There was no one and won’t be anyone like Petr ‘No Mercy’ Yan. I’m trying to express myself, that’s a feature of professional sport. You don’t need to look up to anyone, you just need to work hard, love what you do and enjoy the process while moving forward. I will be remembered.”
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