This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Macau, we saw a big time matchup with potential title implications in the bantamweight division. Former world champions went head-to-head as former bantamweight champion Petr Yan (18-5) took on former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1).
Entering the bout, Figueiredo hadn’t lost in the bantamweight division since moving up from flyweight. He was a perfect 3-0, but Petr Yan was looking to halt all his momentum. Yan was also looking to pickup his second straight win after going through a tough three-fight losing streak.
Petr Yan showed on Saturday night why he is so good. He had a beautiful performance that showed just how good he is in all aspects of the game. His grappling look sharped. His combinations looks sharp. There wasn’t one area where he looked inferior to the talented former flyweight champion.
Now, Figueiredo did have his moments with a takedown in the first round and rocking Yan a couple of times with his big power. However, Yan was in cruise control most of the fight outside of those few moments. It felt like a close fight, but Yan swept the scorecards at UFC Macau for a big decision win.
What’s next after UFC Macau?
It’s been an interesting few years for Yan. After losing his title via DQ to Aljamain Sterling, Yan defeated Cory Sandhagen to become the interim champion. He then lost a unification title bout to Sterling by decision, but many believe that he won that fight. He then lost a split decision to Sean O’Malley in a fight where the majority felt that he won.
Merab Dvalishvili did dominate in Yan’s third straight loss. Yan was left questioning himself after three straight defeats. That said, his three losses were to the last three undisputed UFC bantamweight champions. That’s nothing to get you down. He’s bounced back in a big way this year with wins over Song Yadong and now Deiveson Figueiredo.
So, what’s next for Yan? To me, there’s only one real option. Umar Nurmagomedov has to be the next challenger for Dvalishvili despite Yan wanting the title shot. With those two on a collision course, I think the UFC needs to run back the fight between Yan and O’Malley. The first fight was close, but many thought Yan was robbed. This would be Yan’s chance to either right the wrong, or one of the sports biggest stars earns a rematch for the bantamweight title.