McGhee Says UFC Pushed Him Back After Yan Loss

Marcus McGhee believes the UFC has shelved him since losing to Petr Yan last year.

McGhee, who went 4-0 in his first four UFC appearances before the Yan fight, dropped a unanimous decision to the former title challenger in what became his toughest test to date. Yan went on to capture the bantamweight title from Merab Dvalishvili in his next outing. McGhee rebounded with a win over John Yannis in June but questions why the promotion matched him with an unranked opponent now 1-2 in the UFC.

McGhee Questions Matchmaking Ahead Of UFC 332

The bantamweight returns Saturday at UFC 332 against Bernardo Sopai, a matchup he says he took solely to stay active. In an interview with Full Send MMA, McGhee pointed to Payton Talbott co-headlining the same card and Raoni Barcelos headlining UFC Vegas 121 last weekend while questioning the promotion's booking decisions. "I just think that the UFC decides who they want to fight and who they don't want to fight," McGhee said. "But I do feel like they have been pushing me back since that fight."

McGhee suggested ranked opponents are available but believes the promotion has deliberately kept him away from higher-level competition since the Yan setback. He said he plans to keep winning and showing up regardless of the opposition put in front of him.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Marcus McGhee says UFC has ‘pushed me back’ since Petr Yan fight