ABU DHABI – Marcus McGhee won’t think beyond Petr Yan at UFC on ABC 9.
McGhee (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has a big opportunity ahead in former bantamweight champion Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) on Saturday’s co-main event (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
McGhee admits he was caught off guard when the UFC called.
“How could you not be surprised?,” McGhee said during Wednesday’s UFC on ABC 9 media day. “Honestly anything can happen in this game, not too many times you are surprised, but when you’re No. 13, even when you’re winning the way I am, it was definitely surprising, but I was super stoked for the opportunity.”
Going from Jonathan Martinez to No. 3 ranked Yan, McGhee understands the magnitude of the fight, but is focused on the task at hand.
“I never really think about implications past fights,” McGhee said. “I think that in this game, anything could happen at any given time, and this is an unforgiving sport so, I’m always just focused on the task at hand and grateful for the task at hand so, I’m very, very focused on being intentionally present.”
Yan has shown an ability to mix things up, and McGhee expects the fight to go beyond just boxing.
“I know we’re going to stand and trade, but I definitely think that we’re going to hit the ground for sure, too,” McGhee said. “I don’t hit the ground as much, but I have grappling skills as well. I definitely see us hitting the ground at some point. The up and down is going to be there, it’s going to be a full mixed martial arts fight.”
