UFC bantamweight contender Petr Yan is open to a fight with TJ Dillashaw in the future.
Yan is on a six-fight winning streak following his knockout of Urijah Faber at UFC 245 back in December. “No Mercy” is targeting a title shot next as he hopes to become bantamweight champion by the end of 2020.
Should that be the case, there is one fight that interests him which could take place in 2021 — Dillashaw.
“I’ve been asked about it,” Yan told RT Sport. “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.”
Dillashaw, of course, was the former bantamweight champion until he vacated his title last year after testing positive for EPO. He has since been suspended for two years and will be eligible to return early next year.
Should Yan end up facing Dillashaw in a potential matchup, the Siberian-Russian has no worries about the former champion testing dirty. In fact, he doesn’t care:
“No, I don’t care,” he added. “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.”
Would you like to see this matchup?