UFC Abu Dhabi co-headliner Petr Yan still believes in his return to the top, even if his fellow countryman Khabib Nurmagomedov might not.
Yan has been pursuing a second stint on the bantamweight throne ever since a disqualification against Aljamain Sterling in 2021 unceremoniously thrust him off of it.
Though Yan’s win over Cory Sandhagen did see him touch UFC gold again, that was only an interim belt. Three straight defeats followed, leaving the Russian out of the championship equation for a period.
That run seemingly put ‘No Mercy’ on the cusp of being a part of Nurmagomedov’s claim that fighters only have one peak in MMA, with Yan’s title-winning performance against Jose Aldo perhaps marking his.
But amid his ongoing resurgence, Yan is fighting to prove his compatriot wrong.
Petr Yan disagrees with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s claim no fighter can have ‘two peaks’ in MMA
Since Yan was dominated by Merab Dvalishvili in March 2023, the former champ has won two fights on the bounce. A victory over the highly regarded Song Yadong set the Russian back on the right path before a main event triumph over former two-time flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo returned him to the title mix.
In a piece of matchmaking widely branded puzzling, Yan will next face Marcus McGhee at Saturday’s UFC Abu Dhabi event. Despite his opponent’s low position in the pecking order, ‘No Mercy’ hopes that a win nets him a chance for championship redemption.
And if he does find himself squaring off with the bantamweight king, Yan expects to deliver a result that Nurmagomedov might not be predicting.
“That’s Khabib’s theory,” Yan said at media day when asked about the legend’s claim that two peaks is not possible for a fighter (h/t Red Corner MMA). “Let him stick to it.
“I don’t know how to tell if you’re at your peak. You need to feel it, or show it.
“I feel like I have everything to get there,” Yan added.
Merab Dvalishvili was shocked by Petr Yan’s next fight
Count the reigning UFC bantamweight champion among those surprised by Yan’s upcoming matchup.
During an interview with Helen Yee, Dvalishvili reacted to Yan vs. McGhee, expressing shock at the bout given that he expected the Russian to be in line for a rematch against him for the title.
“It’s a tough test for Petr Yan,” Dvalishvili said.
“Wow…I thought he was fighting for the belt, and now he has to fight another contender. That means that our division is very stuck. It’s not easy to fight for the belt.
“Good luck to him,” Dvalishvili added. “Of course, I will be cheering (for) him. We fight, I always share (support) to the guy I fought. So, it’s gonna be a tough test for him, but I’m sure he will get it.”