Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan is targeting a return to the Octagon this fall, potentially against flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Yan most recently lost to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 via a split decision. This came after their first matchup at UFC 259 in which Yan lost the title via disqualification due to an illegal knee.
Figueiredo regained the flyweight throne with a unanimous decision win over Brandon Moreno at UFC 270 earlier this year. He’s been unhappy recently after the UFC booked an interim flyweight title bout between Moreno and Kai Kara-France and has threatened to leave the division.
This could potentially open the door to a fight between Yan and Figueiredo. In a recent tweet, Yan pitched the matchup.
“No one at 135 wants it… Figgy?” Yan tweeted on Thursday.
Figueiredo has had issues cutting down to 125lbs but seemed to reverse this trend ahead of his trilogy with Moreno. He has fought at flyweight for the entirety of his career in the cage.
Before his two losses to Sterling, Yan earned the then-vacant bantamweight title against José Aldo at UFC 251. Between his defeats to Sterling, he earned the interim bantamweight title over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267.
If Figueiredo is set on a move to bantamweight amidst the interim title drama, a fight with Yan could make a lot of sense. For Yan, a win over Figueiredo would almost guarantee him another title shot for his next outing.
What are your thoughts on Petr Yan’s proposed fight against Deiveson Figueiredo?
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