The UFC has finalized a massive matchup in the bantamweight division that’ll likely determine one of the next title challengers. Former champions will square off as former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (24-3-1) takes on former bantamweight champion Petr Yan (17-5).
The matchup will take place at UFC Macau on November 23rd. Leo Guimaraes was the first to report the news and at this time, it’s not known whether the fight will headline the show or whether it’ll be a main card matchup. Both men are currently in the top five at 135 with Figueiredo coming in at fifth and Yan ranked third.
Starting with Figueiredo, he will be looking to remain unbeaten at 135 while earning a potential title shot. After a very successful run at flyweight that saw him become a two-time champion, Figueiredo made the jump to 135 last year. He debuted against Rob Font in December and he looked great picking up the decision win.
He followed that up by submitting Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300. His toughest test came last month when he faced Chito Vera in Abu Dhabi. Figueiredo won a close decision where he became the first man to drop Vera inside the octagon. Now, he’ll face his toughest test in former champ Petr Yan.
UFC Macau
In all honesty, it’s been a rough few years for former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. Back in 2020, he defeated Jose Aldo to win the vacant bantamweight title. In his first defense of the title, he was dominating Aljamain Sterling before losing his title by DQ after he landed an illegal knee against Sterling.
While Sterling was out with in injury, Yan became the interim champ by defeating Cory Sandhagen. In a unification bout with Sterling, Yan lost a close decision. Following that, Yan lost a very close split decision to Sean O’Malley. In March of 2023, he then took on the current champ Merab Dvalishvili and was dominated over five rounds.
As you can see, he had a three-fight losing streak, but all three losses came against the last three champions at 135. Back in March at UFC 299, he returned to face Song Yadong and he looked very good picking up the decision win over the young contender. That win got him right back in the mix and now he’s one win away from another potential title shot.