Former UFC Champions Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo Will Meet
Petr Yan was in the worst stretch of his career in 2022 and 2023. Yan couldn’t find a way to finish fights or impress the judges. Following three straight losses, many people following the MMAfighting latest news wondered if Yan still had the juice to recapture the bantamweight title.
But Yan, who was losing narrow decisions, bounced back with a win over Song Kenan during his last fight. Yan’s reward is getting the opportunity to fight another former champion on Nov. 23 in China. Deiveson Figueiredo was the UFC champion at flyweight but decided he wanted to move up in weight in the back half of his career.
Figueiredo and Yan both have a lot to prove in this fight. It will be compelling and should be one of the highlights of this fight card. It hasn’t been reported whether the fight will be three or five rounds. This fight screams main event potential for a fight night and will be where both men would have the cardio to go the distance.
Figueiredo Won’t Go Away
The best MMA news site shows that Figueiredo didn’t get discouraged after losing the flyweight championship for the second time to Brandon Moreno at UFC 283. Figueiredo immediately decided to go up in weight and found success.
He beat a ranked fighter, Rob Font, in his bantamweight debut. He then followed that up with a win over former champion Cody Garbrant at UFC 300 and a win over former title challenger Marlon Vera. Figueiredo has proven over his career that he is capable of winning a fight in any manner.
Figueiredo has nine wins apiece by knockout and submission. However, Figueiredo hasn’t knocked out an opponent in four years. However, when it comes to this matchup, power may not be an issue.
Yan is an exceptional fighter. But he hasn’t showcased a lot of powerful finishes against the championship-caliber fighters in the bantamweight division.
Yan Would Be Even Better if He Finished Fights
It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for Yan. He initially lost his championship to Aljamain Sterling after throwing an illegal knee. Since then, the MMA latest updates show Yan has been on the wrong side of several close decisions.
One thing that no one can hold against Yan is his level of competition. During his rematch with Sterling, Yan lost a narrow decision at UFC 273. Six months after that, Yan fought future champion Sean O’Malley.
There was a real argument to be made that Yan won the fight, but the judges ultimately sided with O’Malley’s power. Yan only fought once in 2023, but it was a decision loss to now-champion Merab Dvalishvili.
Yan hurt his hand during the fight and struggled to keep up with Dvalishvili’s aggressive grappling. Everyone struggles to slow down Dvalishvili’s wrestling.
Bantamweight Champions Don’t Usually Last Long
Despite losing three straight fights, Yan is still ranked third in the division. Umar Nurmagomedov appears to be the next fighter in line to take on Dvalishvili. Whoever wins the fight between Yan and Figueiredo may be on the shortlist to take the next spot in line.
Figueiredo is ranked fifth in the division but may be able to hop Cory Sandhagen with a win over Yan. While Sandhagen is a solid fighter, he always seems to struggle to get wins against top-tier opponents.
The 135-pound division is renowned for having a deep talent pool. Since Dominick Cruz became the inaugural champion in December 2010, no one has defended the championship more than three times. Sterling was the only fighter to defend the belt three times. Yan never successfully defended the belt when he was interim or regular champion.
When Figueiredo was the flyweight champion, he defended the championship once against Alex Perez.
UFC Macau Has Plenty of Action Planned
The big fight for Chinese fans may end up being the women’s strawweight bout between Yan Xiaonan and Tabatha Ricci. Yan fought countrywoman Zhang Weili for the championship at UFC 300. While she didn’t come out victorious, she impressed many people with how she bounced back from nearly being finished to challenge Weili.
Ricci has won six of her past seven fights. The Brazilian fighter has developed into a solid contender in the division. She may never fight for the title, but anyone who goes up against her will have to find a way to deal with her improved striking.
Ricci has picked up wins over Angela Hill and Tecia Pennington in her last two fights. She seems to be improving since she’s been working on improving her boxing with her boyfriend, Irish boxer Callum Walsh. This is a good matchup for Ricci to show what she’s learned.
Wang Cong is an Intriguing Prospect
Chinese standout Wang Cong was a heavy favorite going into her UFC main roster debut against Victoria Leonardo. She proved that she was more than deserving of respect when she picked up a knockout just 62 seconds into the fight. Wang will now be attempting to prove it was no fluke against Gabriella Fernandes.
Fernandes has been in a difficult spot in her career. She lost her first two fights in the promotion after debuting in the UFC. However, Fernandes did build some momentum in her last fight by beating Carli Judice with a split decision.
Wang is going to want to make sure this fight doesn’t see the scorecards.
This will be the UFC’s first trip to Macau since 2014, so fans should be excited to come back. Here’s a look at some of the other fights that have been announced for the card:
Light heavyweight, Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg
Welterweight, Song Kenan vs. Muslim Salikhov
Light heavyweight, Zhang Mingyang vs. Ozzy Diaz
Flyweight, Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Jose Ochoa
Flyweight, Nyamjargal Tumendemberel vs. Carlos Hernandez
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
By Dean McHugh.
