Petr Yan will look to enter the bantamweight title picture at UFC Fight Night 248.
Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) meets Deiveson Figueiredo (24-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) in Saturday’s main event (ESPN+) at Galaxy Arena in Macau. With bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili saying Figueiredo is more deserving than Umar Nurmagomedov, Yan sees this as an opportunity to steal the spotlight.
“Deiveson is a former champ, and also Merab has been saying that he’s the only real deserving challenger for his belt,” Yan told UFC News through an interpreter. “So for me, it’s a good opportunity for me to get this position, to beat him and challenge for the belt instead of him.”
Dvalishvili has refused to acknowledge undefeated Nurmagomedov as No. 1 contender, which Yan thinks only increases his chances of taking his spot.
“I believe this is a No. 1 contender’s fight,” Yan said. “Merab is currently champ, but I believe that he’s not ready to defend his title just yet, especially against Umar. It seems like he is avoiding him. Also Umar, I believe he maybe needs a couple of good wins too. So, with a win over Deiveson, I believe that I can get back into the title picture and challenge for the belt again.”
Yan snapped a three-fight losing skid when he outlasted Song Yadong at UFC 299 in March. Despite the recent struggles, the former bantamweight champion likes his chances against anyone in the division.
“To be honest, I feel like I only have one real loss on my record,” Yan said. “I believe that I’ll be able to compete with all of the top guys and still challenge for a belt.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.