Petr Yan isn’t entertaining the idea of a showdown with Umar Nurmagomedov.
Yan competed in the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi this past Saturday. He went one-on-one with Marcus McGhee in a bout that many considered to be a potential trap fight. The bout went the distance and Yan ultimately scored the unanimous decision victory. With the win, “No Mercy” is now hoping to secure another bantamweight title fight.
One bout that Yan isn’t focused on is a clash with the No. 2-ranked bantamweight Nurmagomedov. During the UFC Abu Dhabi post-fight press conference, Yan explained why that fight doesn’t appeal to him (h/t MMAJunkie).
“Right now, I’m not interested in fighting Umar in November in Qatar,” Yan said. “I was offered a fight against him in Baku, Azerbaijan. I accepted it; they couldn’t accept it. Then I asked for July, they also couldn’t make it. Right now, I’m only focused on a title shot.”
UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov recently teased that Umar’s next fight will be a five-round main event. If Yan gets his way, then he will not be Nurmagomedov’s next dance partner. Nurmagomedov not only suffered the first loss of his pro MMA career to Merab Dvalishvili, but he also had to recover from a hand injury. At this time, it’s unknown who Nurmagomedov’s opponent will be.
The next UFC bantamweight title fight will see champion Dvalishvili put his gold on the line against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 on Oct. 4. Yan is hoping to serve as the backup fighter. He also praised both Dvalishvili and Sandhagen when asked who he would prefer to fight for the title.
Yan admitted that he’d like to face Dvalishvili again to see how he can adjust in a rematch. Dvalishvili defeated Yan via unanimous decision back in 2023. It was the last time Yan was defeated.
