Petr Yan says recent bantamweight results have not impressed him ahead of his Oct. 24 trilogy fight with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333. Yan returns 10 months after beating Dvalishvili to become a two-time champion and says he is ready for any opponent the UFC selects.
Yan had surgery for a back injury in January. While he was away, Song Yadong knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov, Mario Bautista moved ahead of Cory Sandhagen in the rankings, and Sean O’Malley stopped Aiemann Zahabi to hold his position. Yan said Song’s win did not impress him because he had beaten Song before.
Dvalishvili won their first meeting in March 2023, handing Yan his third straight loss. Yan then won three consecutive fights before taking their rematch at UFC 323; both previous bouts went the distance. Yan said the UFC chooses challengers and hopes to win the trilogy by knockout, proving his earlier victory was no fluke.
