In a long-awaited battle between two former champions, Petr Yan emerged victorious over Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC Fight Night main event in Macau, China. The closely contested affair saw Yan control the fight with his wrestling and striking to earn a clear unanimous decision.
Yan Makes Statement In Pursuit of Lost Title
While Yan and Figueiredo once held UFC gold simultaneously in 2020, both men entered this crucial clash coming off title fight losses, desperate to re-establish themselves as top contenders. It was the determined Russian who rose to the occasion.
Despite giving up an early takedown, Yan quickly reversed position and proceeded to smother Figueiredo with suffocating top control for the majority of five rounds. The 31-year-old landed thunderous ground strikes and snapped his foe’s head back with precise lead uppercuts each time they separated.
Figueiredo’s Flurries Not Enough
To his credit, the always dangerous Figueiredo threatened with explosive flurries, including a desperate late barrage that briefly put Yan on the retreat. But those moments were few and far between against Yan’s otherwise dominant onslaught.
When I beat No. 1 contender in my division, I want to do a match with Merab (Dvalishvili). Let’s go.
– Petr Yan’s post-fight callout of the bantamweight champion
After 25 minutes, the judges awarded Yan the clear decision victory with scores of 50-45 across the board. He bested Figueiredo by a staggering 121 to 53 margin in significant strikes, stamping out the Brazilian’s four-fight win streak.
Yan Demands Title Shot Against Champion Dvalishvili
Wasting no time, the jubilant Yan instantly called for a title shot against reigning bantamweight king Merab Dvalishvili. The proud Russian took issue with Dvalishvili recently naming Figueiredo as the division’s clear No. 1 contender.
“Merab, what you say now, when I beat No. 1 contender in my division,” Yan boldly questioned in his post-fight interview. “I want to do a match with Merab. Let’s go.”
With the impressive win, Yan will surely rise from his No. 5 position in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. After suffering tough championship losses to Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, this victory over a fellow ex-champ emphatically puts Yan back on the path to gold.
Yan Xiaonan, Volkan Oezdemir Also Shine in Macau
In other main card action, women’s strawweight contender Yan Xiaonan bested Tabatha Ricci via unanimous decision to solidify her No. 4 ranking. Light heavyweight staple Volkan Oezdemir wasn’t as fortunate, falling to rising prospect Carlos Ulberg on the scorecards.
The event took a scary turn during a preliminary bout when Feng Xiaocan was knocked out by Shi Ming in tournament action. Feng was stretchered out of the cage to a local hospital. Officials later reported she thankfully avoided any serious neck or head injuries.
But the story of UFC Macau was undoubtedly the return to form of Petr Yan. After his masterful victory over Deiveson Figueiredo, all eyes now turn to whether the UFC will grant the former champion his wish of a crack at Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight throne.
