With New Deal In Hand, Petr Yan Faces John Dodson at UFC Prague

John Dodson
John Dodson Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Petr Yan will celebrate the first fight of his new UFC deal by taking on John Dodson at UFC Prague.

Things are looking up for UFC bantamweight Petr Yan. On Thursday, ESPN reported that Yan, who recently signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC, would face John Dodson at UFC Prague. That’s a big match-up for the UFC’s first ever trip to the Czech Republic. It’s also a huge step up in competition for Yan, who will now be facing a former UFC title challenger.

Yan (11-1) has won all three of his UFC bouts to date. The Russian nicknamed ‘No Mercy’ made his debut last year at UFC Singapore, where he knocked out Teruto Ishihara. He next defeated Jin Soo Son by unanimous decision at UFC Moscow, then followed that up with a TKO of Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC 232.

Dodson, however, is a next level opponent for Yan. ‘The Magician’ twice challenged UFC flyweight great Demetrious Johnson for the 125lb title, coming up short both times. He then made the move up to bantamweight, the very weight class he competed in during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter.

Though trading wins and losses of late, Dodson (20-10) remains a tough fight for anyone at either 125 or 135lbs.

UFC Prague (UFC Fight Night 145) takes place February 23 at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. Jan Blachowicz faces Thiago Santos in the main event.