Petr Yan returns to action at UFC Macau, facing Deivson Figuiredo in the Fight Night card’s main event.
The UFC‘s first event in Macau since 2014 marks Yan’s second fight of 2024, a welcome return to an active schedule for the Russian. And even still, he’s had to overcome injuries sustained both before and during his victory against Song Yadong, from a torn ACL and meniscus, to a groin injury.
“Getting injured is always bad news. It’s a long recovery, rehab process, but it’s also a part of our jobs. We’re fighters, that’s why we’re different than everyone else,” Yan (17-5) exclaimed during an appearance in Macau this week. “And being able to overcome these obstacles, it’s how you differentiate from being just a challenger, and a champion.”
While he didn’t state which, Yan went on to suggest that he had just one true loss on his record, and could still hang with the top of the weight class.
“To be honest I feel like I only have one real loss on my record, and I believe I’ll be able to compete with all the top guys and still challenge for the belt.”
Which has him eyeing gold, currently held by Merab Dvalishvili. Yan held the UFC bantamweight title himself in 2020, only to lose it by DQ against Aljamain Sterling the following year. A rematch (with Yan by then having won an interim title) followed, with Petr Yan again coming up short.
Sterling, however, has since moved up a weight class, and names like Umar Nurmagomedov and Figueiredo get much of the attention when it comes to title shots.
“Deiveson is a former champ, and also current champ Merab has been saying that he’s the only real deserving challenger for his belt,” noted Yan. “For me, it’s a good opportunity to get this position, to beat him and also challenge for the belt instead of him.”
Watch the full appearance by Petr Yan ahead of UFC Macau above.
