Petr Yan Finally Gets the Judges on His Side in Win over Deiveson Figueiredo
Petr Yan’s fighting style has left him on the wrong side of the scorecards more than once throughout his career. The former UFC bantamweight champion likes to start slow. He utilizes the first round to determine how his opponent likes to attack and then adjusts.
This style of fighting is smart, but in the UFC, where many fights only last three rounds, falling behind puts every fighter in danger on the scorecards. But during the UFC’s first trip to Macau in 10 years, Yan made all the right moves to secure a unanimous decision victory over former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. According to MMAfighting latest news, Yan won every round on all three judges’ scorecards.
Yan turned in a well-rounded performance that showcased all of his skills. When Figueiredo attempted to try and employ his grappling, Yan was able to fight off takedowns. Even when Yan was sent back down to the mat, he could quickly build up to hit feet.
During the fourth and fifth rounds, Yan unleashed nasty uppercuts that nearly ended the fight.
What is Next for Yan?
Following his win, Yan called out current bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili dominated Yan during a fight in 2023.
“Before my fight, Merab talked Deiveson Figueiredo (as his) No. 1 contender who deserves title fight,” Yan said following the fight. “I want to say, ‘Merab, what you say now when I beat No. 1 contender in my division?’ I want to do a match with Merab. Let’s go.
“Yan is ranked No. 3 in the division, behind Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley. Previously, Yan lost a razor-thin decision to O’Malley, and Nurmagomedov is next in line for a title shot. Yan should be on the shortlist to fight for the belt.
Yan Xiaonan Protects Her Ranking
There was extra pressure for Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan to protect her ranking while fighting Tabatha Ricci. There aren’t many opportunities for Yan to fight in her home country. Anyone looking at MMA breaking news will see that Yan also needed to bounce back after losing a strawweight title fight with Zhang Weili.
From the outset, Yan showed that her striking was a class above Ricci, who was ranked 10th entering the fight. Ricci could never get close enough to employ her grappling against Yan. Yan dominated the striking exchanges to leave no doubt about who won the fight.
Age is Just a Number
Muslim Salikhov isn’t interested in retiring any time soon. Salikhov, 40, showed he may have plenty of magic left in the tank. During a fight with Song Kenan, Salikhov displayed his amazing striking.
Late in the first round, Salikhov caught Song off guard. While the two men were in a striking battle, Salikhov fired off a spinning wheel kick that caught Song flush. Song quickly fell to the mat, and the fight was waived off. Salikhov has won consecutive fights. Song has now been knocked out five times during his career. The MMA latest updates show that Salikhov did enough enduring this fight to earn more opportunities for exciting fights.
Wang Cong Lays an Egg
Wang Cong was working hard on having a personality that would draw the interest of fans. During the pre-fight face-off, Wang painted her face like the Joker villain from Batman. Then Wang made a strange taunt of her opponent Gabriella Fernandes.
A huge betting favorite, many people believed Wang was on her way to going 7-0. But MMA isn’t a sport that is kind to overconfident people. During the second round, Fernandes was able to get Wang down to the mat.
Once she was down there, Fernandes sunk in a rear-naked choke. Wang didn’t tap out, but she fell unconscious, giving Fernandes a win by technical submission. Wang became the fourth-highest betting favorite in UFC history to lose their fight.
Wang will need to regroup before she attempts to fight in the UFC again.
Ulberg Shows He’s Not a One-Trick Pony
Carlos Ulberg isn’t a fighter who people expect to see reaching the scorecards. Ulberg has gone chiefly through his career picking up wins by knocking out his opponents. When facing off against former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir, Ulberg could lean on his striking to pick up a win on the scorecards.
Ulberg didn’t seem overwhelmed by fighting an opponent with more experience against top-level fighters. Ulberg picked up a unanimous decision victory to increase his record to 11-1 in his career.
The Doctor is In
Shi Ming won the Road to UFC Season 3 women’s strawweight tournament, and it seemed oddly appropriate after how the fight ended. During the third round, Shi unleashed a nasty head kick that planted Feng Xiaocan on the canvas. In the moments following the fight, the medical team rushed into the octagon to apply a neck brace and take Feng to the hospital.
Shi’s day job is as a doctor in her native China. If she has the power to land head kicks against top UFC competition, Shi may not need to keep her stethoscope on for long.
Here’s a look at the rest of the fights on the card not mentioned above:
Light heavyweight, Zhang Mingyang win by TKO (elbow and punches) over Ozzy Diaz, Round 1 2:25
Bantamweight, You Su-young win by decision over Baergeng Jieleyisi, 30-27 (x2), 29-28
Flyweight, Choi Dong-hun win by KO (punches) over Kiru Singh Sahota, Round 1 2:36
Flyweight, Carlos Hernandez win by split decision against Nyamjargal Tumendemberel, 29-28 (Hernandez x2), 29-28 (Tumendemberel)
Bantamweight, Xiao Long win by KO (punch) over Quan Le, Round 3 1:28
Lightweight, Nikolas Motta win by decision over Maheshate Hayisaer, 30-27 (x3)
Flyweight, Lone’er Kavanagh win by decision over Jose Ochoa, 30-27, 29-28 (x2)
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
By Dean McHugh.
