Former UFC champ Petr Yan to take big step down in competition for next fight
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
Why is Petr Yan possibly fighting Marcus McGhee?
McGhee is an excellent fighter. That being said, the American is only ranked No. 13 at bantamweight — 11 spots below Yan. He is riding six-straight wins, but he has only beaten one ranked fighter in Jonathan Martinez, who was only in the top-15 for a short time. For all his talent, there is no question that booking him against Petr Yan would be a major curveball. That’s especially true when you consider the other options Yan has. Outside of Sandhagen, he could also be matched up with Henry Cejudo. The winner of an upcoming fight between Marlon “Chito” Vera and Mario Bautista would also make sense.
Who would you like to see Petr Yan fight next?
