Petr Yan is speaking out following his UFC on ESPN+ 79 loss to Merab Dvalishvili.
The top five of the UFC bantamweight division is stacked. Every man in the top five could potentially be fighting for a title right now. Two of the top men at 135 pounds fought on Saturday night to see who could possibly solidify themselves as the next contender. Former champion Petr Yan took on number three ranked Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of the UFC on ESPN+ 79 card. Dvalishvili was able to grind out the victory and took down Yan in five rounds. The unanimous decision loss was the third in a row for Yan.
Coming into the bout, Yan was looking to get back in the win column and possibly get himself back to a title shot. After losing twice to Aljamain Sterling, Yan was now faced with Sterling’s training partner in Dvalishvili but could not get it done. Now the future is unclear for Yan after three straight losses.
Petr Yan sends a message to fans following his loss to Merab Dvalishvili
Before losing his title due to a disqualification back in 2021, Yan was considered the best fighter at bantamweight and was among the best striker in the UFC. He had won all seven of his UFC bouts until that point but has since taken a hard slide downward. Yan took to his Instagram following the loss to send a message to fans.
“Annoying, it hurts to realize what is happening, but what has happened is not to unravel!” he wrote, translated from Russian. “I was pleased with the preparation in general. There were several slowing factors – about which I thought and believed that I would manage! Flew to the United States, a couple of days away from the flight and started working. Feeling the need for physical therapy! I studied every day for a week and believed that everything would be fine. A week before the fight, they gave a roasting 5*5 breathed perfectly and began to race the weight. I couldn’t think about canceling the Fight, since I was already on the field! I think it was clear that I couldn’t even move not to hit! Had to keep my head up ! I know I can and I know better!!! Need to reboot – make adjustments!”
It seems to read as if Yan was having issues when he got to the United States. Perhaps the weight cut was an issue or maybe he had complications from the travel. The photo posted with the above caption was taken a week out from the fight. He seems to imply that he was in perfect shape then and during fight week not so much. He states that he thought about pulling out of the fight but chose not to.
