Petr Yan’s striking is respected by many.
Ranked #3 in the world, the former UFC champion is arguably the best boxer the bantamweight division has ever seen. Yan is on the verge of a title fight opportunity after racking up three straight wins.
Petr Yan has had striking wars with the likes of Jose Aldo, Sean O’Malley, Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and more.
One of Yan’s former foes, who actually outstruck the Russian, says he’s never seen a stand-up game quite like his.
Jimmie Rivera says Petr Yan is ‘hands down’ the best striker he’s ever fought
Former top-five contender Jimmie Rivera went the distance with a 26-year-old Yan at UFC 238 back in 2019.
Rivera outlanded Yan in strikes 76-58, but Yan knocked him down twice across three rounds to secure a unanimous decision.
Yan isn’t the only former world champion Rivera has come across, as the 28-fight MMA veteran has also shared the Octagon with Aljamain Sterling, Urijah Faber, Marlon Moraes, John Dodson, Daniel Straus, and Kai Stewart (BKFC).
Bloody Elbow asked Rivera which of his 32 past opponents, from MMA to bare knuckle boxing, had the best striking.
“Best striker all around?” Rivera said.
“I mean, you have different styles. There’s been guys I’ve fought that you hit him with everything and the sink and they keep coming forward.
“I’m gonna say that probably the best striker would be Petr Yan,” Rivera continued.
“Out of all the guys I fought, one of the best boxing, kickboxing, takedown defense…
“He’s hands down, a very good fighter,” Rivera said of Yan.
Jimmie Rivera almost earned a UFC title fight in 2018
At the peak of his UFC career, New Jersey’s Rivera was 21-1 as a pro.
Rivera made it to the top five of the bantamweight division while on a 21-fight win streak.
On his run to the top, Rivera met Marlon Moraes in a title eliminator, in the main event of UFC Utica.
Scheduled for five rounds, former WSOF Champion Moraes would only need 33 seconds to knock out Rivera in the opening round.
Rivera rebounded against current BKFC flyweight champion John Dodson in his next fight after that before losing back-to-back fights against the future champions of the division in Aljamain Sterling and Yan.