UFC 267 results: Petr Yan masterclass earns him interim title victory over Cory Sandhagen

For five rounds, Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen went tit for tat.

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] once again has UFC title gold around his waist, even if it’s an interim championship.

At UFC 267, Yan (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defeated fellow top contender [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in a back-and-forth striker’s delight.

The interim bantamweight title bout was part of the UFC 267 main card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It streamed on ESPN+.

Volume was the name of the game for Sandhagen early, who fired a wide range of single and double-strike combinations that connected on the ex-champion. Yan’s boxing was his strong suit and he stuffed Sandhagen’s takedowns, but Sandhagen got the better of him in the exchanges in the first five minutes.

In Round 2, Yan alleviated the pressure of Sandhagen with leg and body kicks. His volume increased, which made the fight high-paced on both sides. Sandhagen utilized jab pumps and switched stances frequently as Yan resorted to his kicks again. Yan’s clip of landing increased, including a spinning backfist-to-punch combination.

As the fight continued, the bantamweights went tit for tat. If one fighter landed, the other would seemingly increase their effort to immediately top the other. The most impactful sequence of the fight up until the moment was a spinning punch that dropped Sandhagen to the canvas. Yan pounced and landed heavy ground-and-pound but Sandhagen threatened a leg submission. The two fighters transitioned back and forth before they ended the round out on the feet.

Both fighters had moments on the feet in Round 4. Sandhagen briefly scored a takedown on Yan and pulled for a heel hook. After a brief moment in the 50-50 guard, the fighters rose to the feet. Yan unloaded on Sandhagen with violent body shots that visibly tensed the American. Sandhagen hung tough, but ate a big Yan punch. A Sandhagen takedown attempt was stuffed right before the end-of-round horn.

Entering the final round, Sandhagen’s corner voiced urgency. They told Sandhagen not to let Yan dictate the dance. However, when the round began, Sandhagen immediately retreated in a counterpunching effort. A massive head kick from Yan thundered throughout Etihad Arena but Sandhagen shook it off.

A wild spinning sequence of kicks and flying knees was interrupted by the final horn, but the fighters kept swinging until referee Jason Herzog intervened. Shortly thereafter, Yan was declared the winner.

The interim title was instated after undisputed strap holder Aljamain Sterling withdrew from a scheduled bout at UFC 267 against Yan due to a lingering neck issue. The fight would’ve been a rematch of their UFC 259 bout, which ended via disqualification when Yan hit Sterling with an illegal knee.

Sterling is now expected to face Yan in a title unification bout in 2022.

With the win, Yan gets back in the win column after the disqualification loss. Yan has won 11 of his most recent 12 outings, a stretch that also includes victories over Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber among others.

As for Sandhagen, the loss is his second in a row. In July, he lost a debated split decision against former champion T.J. Dillashaw. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak that included victories over former title challenger Marlon Moraes and former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 267 results include:

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