Tag: Petr Yan

Overreaction Time: Alexandre Pantoja and Shavkat Rakhmonov elite? Colby Covington in danger, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” on what happened at UFC 310 and what’s to come at UFC 311, UFC 312 and UFC Tampa.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • UFC 310: [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] will STILL be flyweight champion at the end of 2025.
  • UFC 310: [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]’s title reign is up next.
  • Shavkat Rakhmonov and [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] WILL meet again for the UFC welterweight title.
  • UFC 311: [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] SHOULD BE the main event over [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag].
  • UFC 311: Umar being favored over Merab is NUTS!
  • UFC 312: [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] getting a title shot over [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] is BULLSH*T.
  • A [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] rematch is a GREAT idea.
  • UFC Tampa: [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] won’t just beat [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], he’ll knock him out!

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Petr Yan wants Sean O’Malley rematch if he doesn’t get title shot; O’Malley responds

If not a UFC title shot next, Petr Yan would like to avenge one of his most heartbreaking losses vs. Sean O’Malley.

If he’s not granted a title shot next, [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] would like to avenge one of his most notable losses.

Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) picked up his second-straight win when he earned a unanimous decision over former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC Fight Night 248 headliner in November.

UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili was impressed with Yan’s performance, and called for a title defense against him next. However, if UFC opts to give Umar Nurmagomedov the next shot, as is expected, then Yan is interested in running things back with former champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], who beat him by controversial split decision in their Fight of the Night battle at UFC 280 in October 2022.

“You know, if (Nurmagomedov title shot) is going to happen, I would lean towards a rematch with Sean O’Malley, but I don’t know what’s going on with him,” Yan told “The Ariel Helwani Show” through an interpreter on Tuesday. “He’s out for nine to 12 months, so maybe he got pregnant.”

After losing the 135-pound strap to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September, O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his left hip. If Yan the rematch goes happen, he hopes to get two extra rounds scheduled compared to last time, so he can leave no doubt.

“I really want five rounds,” Yan said. “I believe it should be a good main event or a featured bout on some big event. I think five rounds and it will be very interesting if it’s going to happen.

O’Malley took to social media following Yan’s comments to dismiss his wish, but gave a potential timeline update on his return, with expectations of a title shot (via X):

“I predict it will be early Q2. Against Merab. Thanks for asking.”

[lawrence-related id=2789105,2788883,2590011,2590686]

Video: Professor Merab Dvalishvili gives lesson in ‘Why Umar Doesn’t Deserve Title Shot 101’

UFC contender Merab Dvalishvili broke out the board to explain the science behind Umar Nurmagomedov not deserving a title shot.

Quiet down, everyone. Class is back in session.

The guest speaker today will be professor [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag], who will be teaching a virtual lesson in titleshotology.

In the video below, Prof. Dvalishvili explains the different elements of the periodic table of bantamweights and how they interact with one another.

There will be a quiz following the conclusion of the lesson, so be sure to pay attention. You’ll have to decide for yourselves which championship equation make the most sense.

Is the answer [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]? Is it [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]? Make sure to use critical thinking skills when determining.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DC4vCn0S03q/

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, that’s on you.

Cory Sandhagen praises Petr Yan, still wants to avenge UFC loss

Cory Sandhagen has his sights set on Petr Yan after UFC Fight Night 248.

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] has his sights set on [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] after UFC Fight Night 248.

Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) picked up his second consecutive win when he defeated Deiveison Figueiredo (24-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in this past Saturday’s headliner in Macau.

Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) wasn’t surprised to see the former champion get his hand raised.

“It was a really interesting fight. Yan looked amazing to be honest,” Sandhagen said on his YouTube channel. “I kind of figured that the fight would go the way that it was just because Figgy is more chaotic, square version. Yan is a much bladed, technical guy.

“That’s not a knock on Figgy. Figgy usually makes his chaos work, but you kind of saw that that’s the way the fight was going to go. Congrats to Yan, he looked really great. Figgy is a really good matchup for him to look really good in specifically.”

Sandhagen fought Yan for the interim bantamweight title at UFC 267 in October 2021. After winning Round 1, Sandhagen was outstruck in a unanimous decision loss. He rebounded with three straight wins berfore falling short against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC on ABC 7 in August.

With Sandhagen just one spot behind Yan in the UFC’s bantamweight rankings, he’d like an opportunity to run things back – a proposition Daniel Cormier agrees with.

“Congrats to Yan, maybe we’ll do it next,” Sandhagen said. “I don’t really know what the division’s going on. I haven’t really heard too much. I was hoping to hear probably sometime next week about the direction that they are going to go in because I know they were waiting on this fight to play out. Congrats to Yan. I still want to get that one back. We’ll see if it’ll be next or not.”

[lawrence-related id=2788612,1507920,1502934]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Nov. 26: Petr Yan back on the rise

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 248 in Macau.

UFC Fight Night 248 took place last weekend in Macau, and it produced a key shift in the men’s bantamweight division.

Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] returned to action in the main event at Galaxy Arena, where he outperformed former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in an exciting headliner.

Entering the week at No. 5, the former champ climbs to No. 4 after back-to-back wins.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Sean O’Malley, Tim Welch put UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili on blast for wanting Petr Yan next

Sean O’Malley doubles down on his accusation of UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili being afraid of Umar Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] has doubled down on his accusation of UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] being afraid of [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

After [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) defeated Deiveison Figueiredo in a Fight of the Night battle in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 248 headliner in Macau, his callout was accepted by Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC), who lauded him for his performance. That set off Nurmagomedov, who, unlike Yan, would present a fresh challenge to Dvalishvili. “The Machine” already defeated Yan by lopsided decision in their March 2023 main event.

“Umar wants to fight Merab in January,” O’Malley said on his “TimboSugaShow” podcast. “Petr wants to fight Merab in March. I want to fight Merab in April. Merab is absolutely sh*tting himself terrified of Umar. He doesn’t want to fight Umar. Now he’s saying he wants to fight Petr. He wanted to fight me. Petr got 50-45’d to Merab.”

O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili this past September at UFC 306. His head coach, Tim Welch, thinks Dvalishvili as champion is not good for the bantamweight division.

“Think of how exciting and lit the division would be if Merab wasn’t a part of it,” Welch said. “That’s no disrespect. The guy is really good at getting in those positions and getting through the fight. But, man, it would be lit. But the dude’s a serious problem.”

[lawrence-related id=2780990,2778791,2781477,2778537]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

Video: Was Petr Yan’s UFC Macau win enough to steal Umar Nurmagomedov’s title shot?

Petr Yan was spectacular at UFC Macau to the point champ Merab Dvalishvili wants him next over unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] showed he’s still very much among the elite of the bantamweight division Saturday when he won every round of his UFC Fight Night 248 main event against Deiveson Figueiredo.

After an ACL injury sidelined him for eight months, Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) returned looking as sharp as ever when he delivered a clinical unanimous decision beating of fellow former UFC champ Figueiredo in their headlining bout at Galaxy Arena in Macau, and now there’s calls for him to fight for the belt once more.

One of those calls came form reigning 135-pound champion [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) himself, who again pushed the already-named next challenger Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) to the wayside and pitched a rematch with Yan, who he defeated by lopsided decision in March 2023, for a rematch at UFC 313 on March 8 in Las Vegas.

[lawrence-related id=2788936,2788883,2788612]

Is there any chance Yan’s performance can leapfrog him over Nurmagomedov? That was a topic of discussion on this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique” with panelists Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Dan Tom, who joined host “Gorgeous” George Garcia to debate the state of the bantamweight division.

Check out the segment above, or watch the complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.

https://youtube.com/live/aHtEtvJT6g4

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Conor McGregor’s sexual assault trial, UFC Macau fallout, more

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Conor McGregor’s trial, UFC Macau and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Nolan King, Mike Bohn and Dan Tom will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • Former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] looked as good as ever when he outworked ex-flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo on Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 248 main event in Macau. We’ll look at the up-next possibilities for each, including some potential for Yan to get back in the title picture.
  • Former UFC two-division champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] hasn’t fought in nearly four years. Just when he’ll actually return is up in the air even more after he was found liable for a 2018 sexual assault in Ireland. He appealed the jury’s decision. Should the UFC penalize him, as unlikely as that seems? We’ll discuss the bad situation.
  • Bellator fighters are out en masse letting people know they’re being essentially frozen out by the promotion. What’s going on there?
  • The 2024 PFL $1 million winners will be finalized Friday this week. We’ll preview the matchups.

Merab Dvalishvili wants Petr Yan rematch at UFC 313 in March; Umar Nurmagomedov reacts

Umar Nurmagomedov ripped Merab Dvalishvili’s character after the champ called out Petr Yan for a rematch at UFC 313 in March.

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] was easily convinced when [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] called for a bantamweight title rematch between the pair after UFC Fight Night 248.

Former champion Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) delivered an emphatic performance on Saturday when he defeated Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision at Galaxy Arena in Macau, and afterward the Russian said his sights are set on reclaiming the belt now held by Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC).

The pair already crossed paths once before in March 2023. Dvalishvili won a lopsided unanimous decision where he shot a single-fight UFC record 49 takedown attempts, landing 11 of them but inflicting limited damage in the process.

[lawrence-related id=2624549,2624187]

It appears Dvalishvili thinks Yan is worthy of a second chance after he since beat Song Yadong and Figueiredo, and even suggested a date of UFC 313 on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (via X):

Dvalishvili welcoming a rematch drew the ire of [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag], who has already been named the top contender by UFC CEO Dana White. Despite being labeled as such, Dvalishvili has downplayed the matchup with the unbeaten rising star Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who is the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Ultimately, Dvalishvili has repeatedly stated he will fight whomever the UFC deems as the correct opponent in the form of a bout agreement. Still, though, there’s frustration from Nurmagomedov’s side (via X):

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Petr Yan after UFC Fight Night 248 win?

What does the future hold for UFC Macau main event winner Petr Yan? We attempt to play matchmaker.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Deiveson Figueiredo after UFC Fight Night 248 loss?)

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] put himself back in the bantamweight title mix with a standout performance against Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC Fight Night 248 main event.

Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) showed the form that once led him to a UFC championship when he outclassed Figueiredo (24-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) over the course of five rounds to a win a unanimous decision at Galaxy Arena in Macau, and afterward called for a title shot against current champ Merab Dvalishvili, who reciprocated with interest.

Will Yan get the shot, or does he have more work to do? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC Fight Night 248.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.