UFC bantamweight Petr Yan has signed a new contract, and he has a new fight lined up for February 23rd.
Exciting Russian bantamweight Petr Yan is one of the top names to watch in 2019, and his next fight will be against a former UFC title challenger.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reports that Yan is set to face John Dodson at UFC Fight Night: Prague on February 23rd. Yan announced on Twitter that he has also signed a new four-fight contract with the promotion.
Yan (11-1) has fought three times in the UFC, stopping Teruto Ishihara in his debut, winning a wildly entertaining decision over Jin Soo Son, and most recently prompting Douglas Silva de Andrade’s team to invoke the rare MMA corner stoppage due to a prolonged beating. The 25-year-old is clearly a gifted fighter with potential to make his way towards a title shot if he keeps on churning out the wins.
Dodson (20-10) twice fought for the UFC flyweight belt, losing both times to Demetrious Johnson. The hard-hitting Dodson returned to bantamweight in 2016, with inconsistent results. He’s coming off a rather dull decision loss to Jimmie Rivera at UFC 228, but he does hold a split decision over Pedro Munhoz from UFC 222 last March.
UFC Prague takes place in the Czech Republic, with the entire event streaming live on ESPN+. In the main event, Thiago Santos takes on Jan Blachowicz in a crucial five-round light heavyweight battle.