ABU DHABI – Petr Yan thinks getting his hand raised in a non-controversial fashion at UFC on ABC 9 will be enough to get the next bantamweight title shot.
As former titleholder Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) readies for Saturday’s matchup with Marcus McGhee (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at Etihad Arena on Yas Island (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+), the promotion has just announced the next 135-pound title bout between Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen for UFC 320 on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas.
If Yan takes cares of business this weekend, he said there is no one in the weight class who warrants a crack at the Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) vs. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) winner more than himself.
“I am hoping for that,” Yan told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC on ABC 9 media day. “I think it’s the right thing to do. I don’t think there’s anybody who is ranked higher that deserves this more than I do. I think with a competent win this Saturday, I’ll make sure to cement my place as the next contender.”
Yan said he’s intrigued to see how the title fight play out since he has history with both men. He lost a one-sided unanimous decision to Dvalishvili at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023, while beat Sandhagen on the scorecards in an interim title clash at UFC 267 in October 2021.
He would welcome a rematch with either side, but considering he lost to Dvalishvili, that potential sequel is more compelling.
“Definitely an interesting fight,” Yan said. “Definitely will be watching it. I’m happy to be a backup if needed for this fight. I think that Merab is definitely going to push his rhythm, push his pace, push his style and make an uncomfortable style. But Sandhagen also has a chance. I think he has a chance to win.”
“It’s very interesting to me to see what I would do in a fight against him. I now understand that in the five rounds we had, I probably threw my right hand four times. I’m interested to see how the fight would play out differently.”
First things first, Yan must get through McGhee, who hasn’t been beaten inside the octagon yet and has plenty of motivation to pull off by far the biggest victory of his career.
Yan has no intention to let that happen, however, and knows he can’t fall into a trap of complacency against a lesser-ranked foe.
“If I see the opportunity for it I’m definitely not going to shy away from a fire fight,” Yan said. “I’m definitely going to stand and strike. I know I have the skills, so I’ll be looking for openings and the opportunity to catch him and implement my game. Hopefully it works out and I’ll knock him out.”
