Petr Yan believes he will rule over the bantamweight division for years to come once he captures the title at UFC 251. Yan is set to face former featherweight king Jose Aldo for the belt vacated Henry Cejudo who retired after beating Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 last month.
Since then the 135lb division has come to life with several top contenders having stand out performances at UFC 250. Cody Garbrandt and Sean O’Malley picked up highlight-reel knockout wins last weekend while Aljamain Sterling quickly subbed Cory Sandhagen to become next in line for a title shot.
Speaking to MMA Junkie via an interpreter Yan revealed he is happy to see his rivals perform so well but insisted he will beat all of them when the time comes, he said.
“In my opinion, bantamweight is the most exciting division in UFC. I’m glad they performed good and represented our division very well. I’m excited to face all top contenders in the future and have belief in myself I will rule this division for a long time.”
Legendary featherweight Aldo has only fought once at bantamweight – he lost via split decision against Marlon Moraes at UFC 245. Despite that the promotion have decided to give him a title shot, a decision that hasn’t gone done well with the majority of MMA fans or fighters. Yan though isn’t surprised by the UFC’s decision to choose Aldo as his opponent and he is expecting an exciting fight with ‘Scarface’
“After Sterling was booked to fight Sandhagaen, I knew it would be either Aldo or (Marlon) Moraes,” Yan said. “I wasn’t surprised that UFC chose Aldo because he was supposed to fight for the title in May, anyway. Right now, I can’t dictate who I want to fight. I’m the challenger for the vacant belt, and I’m taking advantage of this opportunity.”
“Aldo is a very experienced and well-trained fighter,” Yan said. “He doesn’t make many mistakes. He will be ready to go the full distance. But I believe I have the ability and tools to defeat him. I have no doubt it will be an exciting contest because our styles match up very well. I envision this fight will end with my hand being raised. I believe I can defeat every fighter in my division.”
Do you think Petr Yan can become a dominant champion at bantamweight?