MMA Stars Praise Petr Yan’s Win Over Figueiredo -‘Making It Look Easy’
MMA pros reacted to ex-bantamweight champion Petr Yan’s unanimous decision win against Deiveson Figueiredo.
The pair headlined a UFC Fight Night 248 event in Macau in a competitive bout. Figueiredo tried to press the action in the first round, taking Yan to the floor on his back. Yan remained composed, avoiding attempts of a rear-naked choke or an armbar. He reversed the situation and ended the round by raining down strikes on Figueiredo. The second round was competitive, with both exchanging. But it was Yan who shaded the third in a telling moment. He dropped Figueiredo with an uppercut. While Figueiredo got up, he was on the back foot for the rest of the round.
Figueiredo refused to go anywhere. He secured a takedown in round four after buzzing Yan with a knee to the midsection. Yan got off the floor to neutralize any submission attempts. Both men left everything on the line, throwing numerous strikes in the final round. Although the bout was competitive, the scorecards had it wider than expected, with all three judges having it 50-45 for Yan. Yan now turned his attention to a rematch with the UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili after the latter beat him in 2023.
Yan’s Aim
“Hey guys, before my fight, Merab said that Deiveson Figueiredo was the number one contender who deserved the title fight – I want to say to Merab, what do you say now?! “When I’ve beaten the number one contender in my division, I want to do a rematch with Merab – let’s get him,” Yan stated
“I already beat both Sean O’Malley and (Cory) Sandhagen. I already beat them before. Merab, let’s do it again. I’m ready to talk about a rematch, and I believe it’s going to be a very exciting fight. It’s my second win in a row. I beat really tough opponents who were on winning streaks too. Step-by-step, we’re getting there. We’re going to get these rematches and a title fight,” Yan said
“Great fight, Petr. I like your callout and I like your respect. Let’s go again after two years. March 8. T-Mobile [Arena]. Let’s go,” Dvalishvili replied
This is how the wider MMA community reacted to the result.
Full Card
Petr Yan def. Deiveson Figueiredo (unanimous decision, 50-45 x3)
Yan Xiaonan def. Tabatha Ricci (unanimous decision, 30-27 x3)
Muslim Salikhov def. Song Kenan (KO, spinning wheel kick, 3:49 R1)
Gabriella Fernandes def. Wang Cong (technical submission, rear-naked choke, 3:49 R2)
Carlos Ulberg def. Volkan Oezdemir (unanimous decision, 30-27 x2, 29-28)
Zhang Mingyang def. Ozzy Diaz (TKO, elbow and punches, 2:25 R1)
SuYoung You def. Baergeng Jieleysi (unanimous decision, 30-27 x2, 29-28)
DongHun Choi def. Kiru Sahota (KO, right hook, 2:36 R1)
Shi Ming def. Feng Xiaocan (KO, head kick, 0:46 R3)
Carlos Hernandez def. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel (split decision, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lone’er Kavanagh def. Jose Ochoa (unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28 x2)
Xiao Long def. Quang Le (KO, strikes, 1:28 R3)
Nikolas Motta def. Maheshate (unanimous decision, 30-27 x3)
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