Petr Yan will be taking a huge step down in competition for his next UFC fight — unless his fellow contender Cory Sandhagen agrees to a matchup.
Yan is the former UFC bantamweight champion, and is ranked No. 2 in the weight class at present. He is currently riding back-to-back decision wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo. Ordinarily, that might be enough to warrant a title shot. There’s just one problem. Yan has already lost to champion Merab Dvalishvili, as well as No. 1 contender Sean O’Malley, who will challenge for the belt at UFC 316 in June.
As a result, Yan will need to win at least one more fight to earn another crack at the belt.
If he gets his way, it will be a fight with Cory Sandhagen next. Sandhagen was back in action in the main event of the dramatic UFC Des Moines card last weekend, beating Figueiredo by second-round TKO due to injury. It is widely expected he will be next for the Dvalishvili-O’Malley winner. However, he could also be booked for a rematch with Yan, who he lost to several years ago.
That seems to be Yan’s top choice at the moment. However, during an interview with Submission Radio, the Russian made a shocking reveal: if Sandhagen doesn’t agree to fight, he’ll take on Marcus McGhee instead.
BREAKING: @PetrYanUFC CONFIRMS Marcus McGhee fight rumours are true and the fight will happen if Cory Sandhagen doesn’t accept rematch in July! 👀
🎥: https://t.co/5KgBJ58pIp pic.twitter.com/tXISpjheQM
— Submission Radio (@SubmissionRadio) May 6, 2025
