Tag: Petr Yan

Marlon Vera calls out Petr Yan for November showdown after he previously ‘declined,’ Yan fires back

Marlon Vera hopes to finally lock horns with Petr Yan at the end of the year.

[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] hopes to finally lock horns with [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] at the end of the year.

Vera (21-9-1 MMA, 15-8 UFC) is coming off a one-sided loss to bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley at UFC 299 in March. On the same night, Yan snapped his three-fight losing skid by outlasting Song Yadong.

“Chito” is targeting former champion Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) next – a fight he sees helping him regain his title contender status.

“In a perfect world, I want to fight November, Madison Square Garden, and I would like to fight Petr Yan,” Vera said in an interview with Cameron Hanes. “I think that’s a no-brainer for the fans, for the UFC, and right there you have a former champ against a title challenger. The winner can sit right there waiting for the title shot. It’s a fight that we will fight our asses off because this is a big one. There’s a lot at stake.”

According to Vera, Yan declined to fight him twice in the past.

“He declined before,” Vera said. “We saw each other at my last fight because he fought too, and he’s like, ‘Hey, I want you next.’ I said, ‘What you talking about, you declined twice. Don’t be acting tough right now.’ He’s like, ‘No, it wasn’t a good time for me.'”

Yan responded, sending Vera a stern warning.

“Let’s be honest, if we had fought earlier, you would never have made it to the title fight. Everything has its time, and the time for your whooping is coming soon @chitoveraUFC 🔜.”

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Petr Yan reveals multiple injuries after UFC 299 win, says surgery scheduled

Petr Yan will be sidelined for months after overcoming serious adversity to snap his three-fight losing skid at UFC 299.

Former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] had to overcome serious adversity to snap his three-fight losing skid at UFC 299.

Not only was Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) forced to fend off a determined Song Yadong, who fought sharp to start the matchup at Kaseya Center in Miami, but he had to do it with a number of injuries.

En route to rallying for a unanimous decision win, Yan revealed Monday that he had a ruptured ACL, torn meniscus and a groin injury. He shared the news on social media and said surgery is scheduled for Tuesday (via X):

Yan, No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, had lost consecutive bouts against Aljamain Sterling, Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili going into UFC 299.

The 31-year-old got his hand raised for the first time since October 2021 in the bout with Song, but clearly it came at a cost.

After UFC 299 victory, Petr Yan wants champ Sean O’Malley or Merab Dvalishvili to begin ‘rematch season’

Petr Yan wants to avenge his recent losses after getting back on track against Yadong Song at UFC 299.

MIAMI – [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] is back on the winning track, and wants to run it back against the last two fighters to put losses on his record.

The former UFC bantamweight champion picked up a much-needed unanimous decision win over Yadong Song at UFC 299, snapping a three-fight skid. After winning the interim title against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267, Yan ended up on the wrong side of a pair of split decisions against then-champion Aljamain Sterling and now-current champ Sean O’Malley, followed by a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili.

Now, back in the win column, Yan wants to avenge those losses.

“Rematch season, open. Let’s go!” Yan exclaimed in English during his in-cage post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

While Sterling is out of the picture as he’s moving up to featherweight for his next fight, rematches against Dvalishvili and O’Malley are possible, it just comes down to how the promotion wants to proceed with matching up the top fighters at 135 pounds.

“Whoever UFC will give me, I want to beat these guys, and prepare this time more professionally than I did before,” Yan said through an interpreter during a post-fight news conference. “… Hunting season, open.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC 299: Time for Sean O’Malley to do right by bantamweight division

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 299, including Sean O’Malley, Dustin Poirier, Michael Page and more.

What mattered most at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami? Here are a few post-fight musings.

* * * *

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] put himself back in the heavyweight contender title mix when he hammerfisted Jailton Almeida’s head into next week for a second-round TKO after get stifled by the Brazilian’s grappling in the first frame.

Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) called for a rematch with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall after his triumph, and it was pretty well received. Why? Because it makes sense given the messy state of the weight class at the moment.

We know the deal. We’re all waiting for Jon Jones to return from injury to fight Stipe Miocic. Aspinall has been annoyed by the situation, but has seemingly opened up to the idea of defending the interim belt while Jones and Miocic handle their business.

The problem with that, however, is there wasn’t a completely sensible opponent for him to face. Until now. Blaydes hold a 15-second TKO win over Aspinall from July 2022, but it came as the result of an injury when Aspinall blew out his knee just seconds into the UFC Fight Night 208 main event in London.

It’s always seemed logical to run that fight back, and now with Blaydes getting the emphatic win, it’s a good idea. And Aspinall agrees, as he stated on social media after the event (via X):

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] got the most crucial win of his career when he outworked Song Yadong for a unanimous decision to snap his three-fight losing streak.

The former UFC bantamweight champion Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) needed this one in the worst of ways. Many people, myself included, thought Yan was going to be a long-reigning champion when he won the belt. But it just got weird afterward, starting with becoming the first fighter in UFC history to lose a title by disqualification when he landed an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling in March 2021.

There’s an argument to be made that Yan should have beaten Sean O’Malley in October 2022. He got thwarted by Merab Dvalishvili – like everyone does – but in this fight against Song he showed he’s still very relevant at 135 pounds.

Yan needs another top-ranked contender next. If he can win that and get some momentum, then look out.

Former Bellator title challenger [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] delivered in his debut with a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland, proving many naysayers wrong that his unique style wouldn’t translate to the UFC level.

Holland largely was a willing participant in letting Page (22-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) style on him. That won’t be the case for many other welterweights in the promotion, but at minimum, “MVP” earned the chance to fight them.

At 37, it’s hard to think Page can make a legitimate title run. However, he does have an advantage if Leon Edwards continues to reign in that a fight between them would be huge in the U.K. He’s going to need a couple more wins, though, or some extreme luck to break his way.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] showed he’s still an elite lightweight contender when he stifled the rise of Benoit Saint Denis with a classic fight and second-round knockout finish in the co-main event.

Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) took a huge risk in accepting the matchup with Saint Denis, which is the type of fight many accused him of never being willing to take. It looked like a bad idea to start, but Poirier’s boxing once again came through for him as he survived the storm and put the lights out on Saint Denis.

The result adds to Poirier’s many records, and keeps him in the mix for a 155-pound title shot. At this point, he’s not more deserving than Justin Gaethje if he beats Max Holloway, or the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan – both of which take place at UFC 300 on April 13. But if some reason things don’t line up right for other contenders, or the timeline somehow shifts in his favor, it’s not impossible he could find himself in another championship opportunity sooner rather than later.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] got what he wanted for his first title defense in avenging his lone career loss against Marlon Vera by unanimous decision.

All due to respect to “Chito,” but he wasn’t the most deserving title challenger. It’s totally understandable why the fight happened from O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), Vera and the UFC’s angle. The storyline of this rematch was juicer than anything else that could be done in the bantamweight division given the result of the first meeting, and it’s impossible to know when it would be at least logical to put it together any other time.

The outcome was a completely uncompetitive fight, though, and now it’s time to get serious.

We should all be happy O’Malley’s callout of featherweight champion Ilia Topuria for UFC’s debut in Spain seemingly fell on deaf ears with UFC CEO Dana White. That means it’s time to give a rightful challenger a shot at the belt, and that would be [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

With 10 straight wins and a style that’s seemingly a huge nightmare for O’Malley, a showdown with Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC is the most intriguing championship bout that can be made at 135 pounds. There shouldn’t be a slight consideration given to anything else, and if the UFC goes any other direction for O’Malley’s next fight, it would be a massive injustice.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Sean O’Malley’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 299 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,000.

MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 299 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 299 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 299 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $21,000;

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Katlyn Cerminara[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Parisian[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Asu Almabaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $11,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,362,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,069,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 results: Petr Yan snaps three-fight losing streak, outlasts Yadong Song

Petr Yan rebounded in impressive fashion at UFC 299 by getting past Yadong Song, snapping a three-fight skid.

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] rebounded in impressive fashion.

In the main card opener of UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami, former champion Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) rallied to defeat rising contender Yadong Song (21-8-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) in their bantamweight bout to snap his three-fight losing skid by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Song opened up with a leg kick and a quick left hook in Round 1. Song faked a takedown attempt, as Yan connected with an overhand right. Song was finding a home for the left hook, as Yan attacked the body. Song landed a takedown towards the end of the round.

At the start of Round 2, Song pushed Yan against the fence, but Yan was able to break free. Yan continued to bite heavily on Song’s takedown attempts, but made him pay with a couple of short uppercuts. Yan started to open up, and defended a Song single leg takedown attempt. Yan landed a couple of uppercuts followed by a body shot. Yan ended the round with a takedown of his own, and cut Song with an elbow on the ground.

Both fighters landed big body kicks to kick off Round 3. Song pumped out his jab, as Yan countered with a spinning heel kick. Yan stuffed another Song takedown and fired some body shots. Yan’s takedown defense continued to hold up, as Song slowed down. With a about a minute remaining in the fight, Yan landed a takedown, and maintained top position for the rest of the round.

The judges saw the fight unanimously for the former champion Yan.

As a result, Yan returns to the win column, snapping a three-fight skid stretching back to 2021. After dropping the title by DQ to Aljamain Sterling, Yan won the interim belt by beating Cory Sandhagen, but then went winless until returning to the winner’s circle by defeating Song.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 299 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Petr Yan def. Yadong Song at UFC 299: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Petr Yan’s unanimous decision win over Yadong Song at UFC 299.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Yadong Song[/autotag] at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Fight and venue photos by Sam Navarro, USA Today Sports)

UFC 299 ‘Embedded,’ No. 6: ‘Your worst nightmare is about to come true’

In the final installment of UFC 299 “Embedded,” Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera exchange heated words in final faceoff before title fight.

The UFC is back for its third pay-per-view of 2024, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) makes his first title defense against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), with the champ looking to avenge his only loss, which came against “Chito” by TKO in 2020. The co-headliner is a five-round lightweight showdown between veteran [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) and rising contender [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself on a big stage.

Also featured on the main card is the debut former Bellator star [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) in a welterweight bout; [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in another welterweight showcase; and former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) looking to get back on track against rising Chinese star [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC).

The sixth and final episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champion Sean O’Malley and opponent Marlon “Chito” Vera wrap up their weight cuts. Michael “Venom” Page gets a visit from Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Athletes make weight on Friday. Curtis Blaydes has lunch with his team before ceremonial weigh-ins.

Also watch:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Sean O’Malley plays girl dad on way to press conference

In the fifth installment of UFC 299 “Embedded,” Sean O’Malley and his family make their way to the press conference with plenty of fanfare.

The UFC is back for its third pay-per-view of 2024, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) makes his first title defense against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), with the champ looking to avenge his only loss, which came against “Chito” by TKO in 2020. The co-headliner is a five-round lightweight showdown between veteran [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) and rising contender [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself on a big stage.

Also featured on the main card is the debut former Bellator star [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) in a welterweight bout; [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in another welterweight showcase; and former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) looking to get back on track against rising Chinese star [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC).

The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Dustin Poirier sits with DC; Michael “Venom” Page and Marlon Vera work out. Gilbert Burns gets some custom kicks. Joanne Wood readies for a new chapter. Fans turn it up at the presser with Dana White, champ Sean O’Malley and more.

Also watch:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 main card faceoff highlights: Michael Page grills cowboy Kevin Holland, more

Watch all of the UFC 299 main-card fighters come face to face after Thursday’s press conference in Miami.

MIAMI – Will [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] arrive in style, or will [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] spoil the party?

That question will be answered Saturday at UFC 299, but Page (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Holland (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) were among those who fielded questions from reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a pre-fight news conference at Kaseya Center.

Following the press conference, Page and Holland faced off as MVP broke out the signature “Venom” hand gesture.

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag](22-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) and [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) also squared off ahead of their welterweight clash, and bantamweight rivals [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) and [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) went face-to-face.

Check out the pre-fight faceoffs in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.