Petr Yan ‘Interested’ In Future Fight With TJ Dillashaw

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Petr Yan - Image courtesy @PetrYanUFC Instagram

Yan Open To Dillashaw Fight

Petr Yan is open to a fight with TJ Dillashaw in the future — but his main goal is the bantamweight title.

Yan is coming off an impressive third-round knockout victory over Urijah Faber at UFC 245 in December. It increased his win streak to six in the UFC as he is now targeting bantamweight gold.

That remains the case no matter who is lined up against him next.

“There’s no dream fight for me, no desired opponent,” Yan told RT Sport. “My main goal is the belt. Right now, [Henry] Cejudo has it. If anyone else has the belt, the name isn’t the main thing. The main thing is the belt itself.”

One name that does interest “No Mercy” is Dillashaw, however. Dillashaw was the former champion before he vacated his title last year after failing a drug test.

He is expected to return to action in 2020 and given their similar styles, Yan would certainly be interested in facing a big name such as Dillashaw.

“I’ve been asked about it,” he added of a Dillashaw fight. “People are saying it would be very interesting to see us fight, because we have similar styles, we’re both stand-up fighters, we both have hard shots and both look to finish fights as soon as possible.

“I’d be interested in this fight. Ever since I started my career I’ve watched his fights. I like him as a fighter, I think he’s a competitive fighter. So I’d be glad to fight him in the future. And I think it will happen. It’s just about one year and he’ll be back. He’s a big name, I think he’ll be back to the rankings when he comes back, so I think we’ll fight.”

As for the prospect of Dillashaw potentially using performance-enhancing drugs again, Yan isn’t particularly worried.

“No, I don’t care,” Yan said. “He’s been caught, and he’s not denying it. But as I said, I don’t really care. He’ll be tested more carefully. So on fight night he’ll be clean.”

Maybe Yan will wind up being champion and could defend his title against Dillashaw by the time the latter is eligible to compete again. For now, though, it looks like Cejudo will defend his bantamweight title against Jose Aldo.

Published on February 3, 2020 at 2:27 pm
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