Petr Yan is viewing his next fight as an audition for another UFC title opportunity.
Yan, a former UFC Bantamweight Champion, will go one-on-one with Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday. While some are wondering if this could be a trap fight for Yan, “No Mercy” is motivated by what he believes will be a high-stakes matchup.
With Yan being the No 3-ranked UFC bantamweight, a win away from another crack at gold doesn’t seem far-fetched. Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Yan said a thorough victory over McGhee should give him that push towards the winner of Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen.
“I am hoping for that,” Yan said. “I think it’s the right thing to do. I don’t think there’s anybody who is ranked higher that deserves this more than I do. I think with a competent win this Saturday, I’ll make sure to cement my place as the next contender.”
Dvalishvili is the reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion. He’ll put his gold on the line against Sandhagen at UFC 320, which will be headlined by a light heavyweight title rematch between champion Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira.
Yan believes “The Machine” and “The Sandman” will have a competitive fight.
“Definitely an interesting fight,” Yan said. “Definitely will be watching it. I’m happy to be a backup if needed for this fight. I think that Merab is definitely going to push his rhythm, push his pace, push his style and make an uncomfortable style. But Sandhagen also has a chance. I think he has a chance to win.”
“It’s very interesting to me to see what I would do in a fight against him. I now understand that in the five rounds we had, I probably threw my right hand four times. I’m interested to see how the fight would play out differently.”