Petr
Yan isn’t impressed with fellow
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweights.
The 135-pound champ returns at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 against Merab
Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout. Yan recently shared his
assessment of the division and its top-ranked contenders, claiming
that not a single bantamweight stands above the rest. Nevertheless,
he’s open to whoever he’s offered by the UFC matchmakers.
Petr Yan assesses Yadong Song, Umar Nurmagomedov and the UFC
bantamweight title picture
Yan hasn’t competed since defeating Dvalishvili by unanimous
decision in December last year to reclaim the championship. The
Russian subsequently underwent lumbar surgery in January and has
spent the ensuing months recovering.
While Yan has been sidelined, the pecking order at bantamweight has
shifted, especially after Yadong Song
knocked out Umar
Nurmagomedov. Yan, however, already has a win over Song.
“To be honest, I’ve been watching the division and nothing really
impresses me because yeah, some people are winning, some people are
losing, but let’s say Song and Umar… Song knocked out Umar, but
I’ve beaten Song already,” Yan said to MMA Fighting. “So, there’s
really not all that much that I’m impressed with. Same kind of
people swirling around, so I’m happy to come out and fight
everybody and beat everybody.”
Yan says he has no interest in choosing his next challenger.
“The champ doesn’t choose his opponents,” Yan said. “We have
matchmaking here for a reason. I think whoever they’ll put there,
I’ll be ready to fight them.”