That’s exactly what Petr Yan did in his last fight at UFC Macau: Yan won by TKO and is gaining more and more votes among flyweight contenders. The Russian creature stood up; striking and grappling skills led to a unanimous decision victory, ultimately proving his strong stand in the bantamweight division. Petr Yan, who previously lost his bantamweight title to Aljamain Sterling due to a shoulder injury, now aims for the title defense and challenges Dvalishvili to bring fans the rematch.
Petr Yan Shoots and Scores: Knocking Figueiredo out in the Decider
Petr Yan fought with the former flyweight champion, his opponent Deiveson Figueiredo, in an entertaining match. Figueiredo fought the Russian fighter for five rounds and was badly outmatched by the fighter in a combination of stand-up and ground fighting techniques. Petr Yan was able to stay in control on the ground and suffocate Figueiredo with clean-up strikes, which was pretty diverse. At UFC 303, Yan’s latest win was his second win in the year 2024 after defeating Song Yadong in the previous fight at UFC 299.
There was no delay upon the victory roof to his head; Petr Yan immediately responded with his next plans. After the fight, he was very determined to get back to Merab Dvalishvili and take back his bantamweight belt. Petr Yan, however, brought the memory of the fans and critics to the fact that Figueiredo was heralded as the no. 1 contender in the division, and his victory was a step forward towards getting another shot at the title.
Merab Dvalishvili Responds
The current bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, appeared on social media to congratulate Petr Yan. Despite acknowledging the UFC Macau main event fight, Merab Dvalishvili suggested they could fight again by naming a match at UFC 313 in Las Vegas on March 8.
The two fought for the last time in March 2023, when Merab Dvalishvili defeated Yan through a unanimous decision in UFC Las Vegas. That loss became a painful stretch for Petr Yan as he extended his string of losses to three and gave up his bantamweight title in a rather dubious disqualification decision against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259. Since that period, which was difficult for Yan to carry on, he had a couple of wins in 2024.
In overwhelming Figueiredo, Volkan’s fans did not just see his technical prowess, which is otherwise a marvel to behold, but also a statement about his standing in the bantamweight category. As for Dvalishvili, he has been on the rampage since his victory over Petr Yan. The Georgian standout knocked out Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 and became the bantamweight champion after a decision win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.
Conclusion
Petr Yan getting back in the bantamweight division has brought out the championship factor in him again, and with his win against Deiveson Figueiredo at the UFC in Macau, he is still a force to reckon with. This has effectively put the cat among the pigeons, with Merab Dvalishvili admitting that a rematch can be expected next year; a fight between these two top-class competitors could shape the division in 2024. It would be one of the possible fights of the year if fans are waiting for a rematch when Petr Yan wants to prove himself and Merab Dvalishvili wants to continue his dominance.
