Yan On State Of Bantamweight Division

Petr Yan has been watching the bantamweight division from the sidelines for 10 months and he has not seen anything worth worrying about.

The UFC champion told MMA Fighting's José Youngs that recent results — including Song Yadong's knockout of Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista's climb past Cory Sandhagen in the rankings — have not changed his view of the contender landscape. "To be honest, I've been watching the division and nothing really impresses me," Yan said via a translator. "Song knocked out Umar, but I've beaten Song already. So there's really not all that much that I'm impressed with."

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Yan's Trilogy With Dvalishvili At UFC 333

Yan faces Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout on Oct. 24 at UFC 333. He won the belt back from Dvalishvili at UFC 323 in a dominant five-round performance, evening their series at one win apiece after Dvalishvili handed him a decision loss in March 2023. Yan underwent back surgery in January following that title win, his first layoff in years.

Their first two fights went the full 25 minutes. This time Yan is chasing a finish. "Hopefully this time it's going to be a knockout," he said. As for who comes next after Dvalishvili, Yan deferred to UFC matchmakers. "The champ doesn't choose his opponents," he said. "Whoever they'll put there, I'll be ready to fight them."

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The UFC 333 main event takes place in Los Angeles on Oct. 24.

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• MMA Fighting — Petr Yan: ‘Nothing really impresses me’ with current state of bantamweight division