Petr Yan responds to potential Dominick Cruz bout

Petr Yan has responded to a fight callout from former bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz.

Cruz hasn’t fought since 2016 when he lost the title to Cody Garbrandt. Since then, he has battled multiple injuries and developed his career as a UFC commentator. The former champion revealed he is finally healthy again and ready to fight in 2020. Today in an interview with Mike Heck, he also revealed conversations with matchmaker Sean Shelby, who suggested he will need to fight “No Mercy” if he wants to inch closer to a bantamweight title shot:

“[Sean Shelby said] ‘Petr Yan’s the guy.’ I said yes, I’ll fight Petr Yan,” said Cruz (via MMA Fighting). “He said I can’t fight Petr Yan because he’s fighting Marlon Moraes. Well, then I’ll fight Moraes, or Petr Yan, because those are direct fights straight to the title. After I beat either of those guys, I get a title shot. That’s what I’m in this for, not to fight 13 times beforehand.

“I want to fight Petr Yan, I want to fight Marlon Moraes, I want to fight for the title after I fight one of those guys. If you need me to get one fight back before I fight for the title, give me that guy you need me to fight to get to that title.”

The UFC’s debut in Kazakhstan, scheduled for June 13 is expected to feature Petr Yan against Marlon Moraes in the main event. However, with the ongoing coronavirus, all future matchups and fight cards remain uncertain. With talks of a Dominick Cruz matchup now swirling in the air, Yan responded on Twitter:

Fun fact: I have more UFC wins than @DominickCruz 🤔 At this point I’m not really interested in beating tv commentators https://t.co/yKymlv4d7n

— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) April 1, 2020

Petr Yan’s statement holds true, as the Russian fighter has 6 back to back wins since making his UFC debut in 2018. “The Dominator” sits one fight behind, with 5 UFC victories, however, he has tallied over 22 professional wins and is the former UFC and WEC titleholder. He is regarded as one of the best bantamweights of all time, so a matchup against the number three ranked contender Yan would undoubtedly be a fan favorite.

Would you like to see the bantamweight prospects collide in the UFC Octagon? Sound off in the comments below.