Petr Yan’s Resurgence; What’s Next?

Petr Yan is reportedly set to return at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 on the Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder card against Marcus McGhee, as we look at Yan’s future bouts. 

Yan is on a two-fight win streak after back-to-back decision victories over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo. The wins revived Yan’s career following a three-fight losing streak, marked by losses to Aljamain Sterling, Sean O’Malley, and Merab Dvalishvili. 

Meanwhile, McGhee has racked up four straight wins, his latest against Jonathan Martinez at UFC 309. Three of those wins have come by stoppage, making him one of the most dangerous fighters in the bantamweight division. The winner takes themselves a step closer to a title shot, with the belt currently held by Merab Dvalishvili. 

Current Card

Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder; middleweight

Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault; middleweight

Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee; bantamweight

Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov; light heavyweight

Asu Almabayev vs. Ramazan Temirov; flyweight

Ibo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana; light heavyweight

Options

If Yan does not get the winner of Merab vs. O’Malley, he could turn his attention towards Henry Cejudo. The latter has previously stated he would like to face Yan after his technical decision defeat at UFC Seattle against Song Yadong. Henry could not continue after suffering from an accidental poke near the close of the third round.

Cejudo could not carry on at the start of the fourth, as he called out Yan as an alternative. Cejudo is a massive name on anyone’s resume since he is a two-weight world champion, giving Yan a chance to secure a big scalp. 

Equally, Yan could turn his attention to a rematch with Cory Sandhagen. Yan beat Cory in 2021 at UFC 267. Since then, Cory has bounced back much stronger, winning four out of his last five fights. Cory is now ranked fourth in the rankings, making him a credible name, as Yan continues his recent resurgence.