Petr Yan plans to skip over Umar Nurmagomedov for UFC bantamweight title shot if he wins at UFC Macau
Petr Yan feels he can get another crack at UFC gold with a win over Deiveson Figueiredo.
Yan and Figueiredo will collide in the main event of UFC Macau this Saturday. Both men are former UFC champions and remain strong contenders. For Figueiredo, he’s hoping to become a two-division UFC titleholder. He’s already captured flyweight gold in the past.
It’s a bout big enough that Yan believes the winner can leapfrog Umar Nurmagomedov for a shot at the current UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
Petr Yan Says Title Shot Should be His With UFC Macau Win
During a media day session, Petr Yan spoke to the folks at UFC News through a translator. He explained why a UFC Macau win over Deiveson Figueiredo should get him the next bantamweight title shot (h/t Bloody Elbow).
“To be honest, I feel like I only have one real loss on my record, I believe that I’ll be able to compete with all of the top guys and challenge for a belt. Merab has been saying that he’s [Deiveson Figueiredo] the only real deserving challenger for his belt, so this is a good opportunity for me to get this position; beat him and challenge for the belt instead of him.
“Merab is currently champ but I believe that he’s not ready to defend his title just yet, especially against Umar; it seems like he is avoiding him. Also Umar, I believe he needs a couple of good wins too so with a win over Deiveson, I believe that I can get back into the title picture and challenge for the belt again.”
The 135-pound division had a shift at the top of the heap back in September. Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley to capture the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Now, it’s a race to see who will fight Dvalishvili next.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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