UFC bantamweight contender Marcus McGhee took to social media just hours after his first UFC defeat.
In what was easily the biggest fight of his MMA career, UFC bantamweight Marcus McGhee fell just short of the mark against former titleholder Petr Yan in the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event. Yan showed off his experience and elite striking to stifle and frustrate McGhee over three rounds of action.
Yan defeated McGhee by unanimous decision and made a strong case for a title shot with his performance. Meanwhile, it was a disappointing setback for McGhee after going 4-0 in the UFC Octagon before getting the co-main event opportunity.
Marcus McGhee speaks on first UFC loss to former champion Petr Yan
McGhee is one of several previously unbeaten UFC stars to suffer their first loss inside the Octagon in 2025. Before UFC Abu Dhabi, McGhee was on a quick ascent up the bantamweight rankings with recent knockouts of JP Buys and Gaston Bolanos.
But McGhee’s showing against Yan demonstrates that the young star still has a ways to go to contend with the division’s elite. The bantamweight star acknowledged as much during his first post-fight comments.
In a recent post to his Instagram story, McGhee addressed his supporters following a difficult setback at UFC Abu Dhabi.
“What’s going on guys, thank you all for the support. Sorry I’ve been off of social media, was just trying to get dialed in for the fight,” McGhee began.
“Got a couple bumps and bruises, but we went out there, did our best, and came up short. We’ll be back, we always work hard, we always try to do our best. So all glory to God…I’m still going to try to do this thing.
“So thank you all, I appreciate you all. Life is still good…I’ll catch you guys later.”
McGhee’s loss snapped a six-fight winning streak overall, and was his first defeat since July 2022. He made his promotional debut in April 2023 following successful stints in LFA and RUF.
Meanwhile, Yan is knocking on the door of another potential title shot following UFC Abu Dhabi. In the meantime, Yan shut down facing one of the division’s top contenders.
Petr Yan shuts down potential Umar Nurmagomedov clash after UFC Abu Dhabi
When asked about a potential matchup with former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov following UFC Abu Dhabi, Yan reiterated his firm stance in demanding a title shot.
“Right now, I’m not interested in fighting Umar in November in Qatar,” Yan said at his post-fight press conference. “I was offered a fight against him in Baku, Azerbaijan. I accepted it; they couldn’t accept it.
“Then I asked for July, they also couldn’t make it. Right now, I’m only focused on a title shot.” (h/t BJ Penn)
Rumors have swirled that the UFC is targeting Nurmagomedov’s return for the promotion’s upcoming UFC Fight Night event in Qatar. Nurmagomedov hasn’t fought since falling to UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili earlier this year at UFC 311.
Yan suffered a lopsided defeat to Dvalishvili earlier in their careers, as Dvalishvili set numerous UFC records in a unanimous decision victory. Yan has bounced back with recent wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo.
Former titleholder Henry Cejudo made the case for Yan to face the Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen winner after UFC Abu Dhabi. Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen will serve as the UFC 320 co-main event in October.
- READ MORE: Bryce Mitchell explains the major difference between him and Sean Strickland amid comparisons