Henry Cejudo and Marlon Moraes will collide in UFC 238’s main event this Saturday night (June 8, 2019) for the vacant Bantamweight title in Chicago, Illinois. And whoever proves victorious probably won’t have to look too far for his next challenge.
Indeed, surging sensation Petr Yan is also competing on the card, competing opposite Jimmie Rivera in pay-per-view (PPV) main card action. According to “No Mercy,” he deserves to fight for the title should he take out “El Terror,” seeing as it will be his fifth straight win inside the Octagon in a year.
“I want the next one to be for the title,” Yan told MMA Fighting’s Eurobash podcast.
Ranked No. 9, Yan knows there may be higher-ranked fighters ahead of them, but feels none of them bring anything too exciting to the table.
“I don’t put much significance on our placement on the card, but to be honest, yes [it could mean I’m more likely to fight for the title next]. Sterling has never been in an exciting fight. I didn’t know [Munhoz] fought in the UFC for such a long time, I just saw his last fight, I didn’t even know that man existed in the division until his last fight. Obviously, that’s why I’m on the main card,” he said.
Indeed, Aljamain Sterling (No. 3) and Pedro Munhoz (No. 4) are looking to put on an exciting winning performance to punch their ticket to the big dance when they face off in “The Windy City.”
Yan not only downplayed the respective skills of Sterling and Munhoz, but he also took a shot at Moraes and Cejudo, saying he doesn’t really see anything special in them that should make people discount him against either.
“Of course I’m ready for the title,” he insisted. “I don’t care if it’s Cejudo or Moraes, I don’t see me lacking anything compared to them. There’s nothing special about them; of course I want to fight the winner of their fight.
“For all of my other UFC fights I didn’t even prepare that well,” he added. “I didn’t have structured training, a head coach or anything like that. Honestly, I was preparing like an amateur. If I fight for the title, I’ll be making significant changes to my camp and that will make a difference too.”
An impressive win certainly moves “No Mercy” up the ladder, but will it be enough to slingshot him ahead of the rest of the top contenders chomping at the bit for a shot at the title?
To see who else is fighting at UFC 238 by clicking here.