Petr Yan Unimpressed by UFC Bantamweights Ahead of UFC 333 Trilogy
UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan stated he is unimpressed by the contenders in his division ahead of his trilogy bout with Merab Dvalishvili. Yan noted that he is ready to face whoever the promotion puts in front of him.
· VILLAND PICK editorial
Petr Yan is set to make his return at UFC 333 on Oct. 24, meeting rival Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout with the bantamweight title on the line. Ahead of his comeback, the 135-pound champion shared his thoughts on the current state of the division, stating that no single contender currently stands out above the rest.
Yan has been out of action since reclaiming the championship last December, when he defeated Dvalishvili by unanimous decision. The Russian titleholder subsequently underwent lumbar surgery in January and has spent the intervening months recovering. During Yan's layoff, the divisional landscape saw movement—notably Yadong Song scoring a knockout victory over Umar Nurmagomedov—though Yan already holds a previous win over Song.
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Yan explained that the current crop of challengers has not caught his eye. "To be honest, I’ve been watching the division and nothing really impresses me," Yan said. "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."
Despite his assessment, Yan made it clear that he will not attempt to hand-pick future challengers after his upcoming defense. "The champ doesn’t choose his opponents," Yan added. "I think whoever they’ll put there, I’ll be ready to fight them."
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