Petr Yan

Yan was born to a Russian mother and a father who is of mixed Chinese and Georgian ancestry. Yan started learning ITF Taekwon-do in the sixth grade, and his family frequently relocated to try and stop the fights that frequently broke out in the neighborhood’s streets and schools. In the Krasnoyarsk Krai city of Dudinka, Yan’s older brother had boxing training, and Petr was interested in learning the sport as well.

But when his older brother originally declined to let Petr along, Petr made the decision to go to his brother’s training session in secret. After that, Petr continued his boxing training for an additional eight years, rising to the level of Master of Sport in the 64 kg weight division. Petr Yan also earned a degree in physical culture and sport from the Siberian Federal University in Omsk.

In December 2014, Yan made his MMA debut at the Eurasian Fighting Championship – Baikal Fight. Murad Bakiev, a newcomer, was defeated by him in the third round via knockout. Yan entered into a deal with the Russian organization Absolute Championship Berkut in 2015. After his promotion debut, when he faced off against Brazilian fighter Renato Velame, who at the time had previously fought 26 times in his MMA career, he reportedly won a large number of admirers.

But Yan prevailed in this battle by decision. In his third bout, Yan defeated Kharon Orzumiev in just 47 seconds by first-round submission. Yan defeated Artur Mirzakhanyan in the opening round of his next fight, which took place at Professional Fight Night 10: Russia Cup.

Yan entered the ACB Bantamweight Grand Prix to make his ACB debut. Yan won over Kharon Orzumiev and Renato Velame in the Quarterfinals to go to the Grand Prix final against Murad Kalamov. Yan won the Grand Prix by unanimous decision against Kalamov and will face Magomed Magomedov for the vacant ACB Bantamweight Championship at ACB 32.

Yan was defeated in a closely contested split decision. He overcame the defeat by winning by unanimous decision over Ed Arthur to earn a rematch with Magomedov for the ACB Bantamweight Championship at AFC 57. To win the ACB Bantamweight Championship this time, Yan defeated Magomedov by unanimous decision. Yan subsequently successfully defended his championship against Matheus Mattos by way of a third-round TKO (punches). Yan joined the UFC in 2018 and left the promotion following the bout.

At UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards, Petr Yan faced Teruto Ishihara in his UFC debut. Ishihara was KO’d by Yan in the opening round (punches). After winning, Yan won three consecutive fights before competing against Urijah Faber at UFC 245. Yan outperformed Faber and used a head kick to KO him in the third round to win his first Performance of the Night bonus in the nation. After Henry Cejudo declared his retirement from the sport, Yan challenged Jose Aldo for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 251.

Yan outperformed Aldo throughout the contest and TKO’d him with punches in the fifth round to win the UFC Bantamweight Championship. He subsequently faced Aljamain Sterling in UFC 259 for his first championship defense. In terms of striking and grappling, Yan outperformed Aljamain. It seemed like Yan would have an easy battle, but while Aljamain was on the ground, Yan kneed him illegally. Following the unlawful knee, Sterling was unable to continue the battle and walked away. Because of this, he was given a DQ victory in the bout and elevated to the position of UFC Bantamweight Champion. Petr Yan made history by being the first fighter in the UFC to have his title stripped by a DQ.

Yan recovered from the championship defeat and competed against Cory Sandhagen for the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 267. Yan emerged as the interim UFC Bantamweight Champion after winning the duel by unanimous decision. At UFC 272, a championship unification rematch against Aljamain Sterling was slated for March 5, 2022. On January 11, 2022, it was revealed that the fight would now take place at UFC 273, which would take place on April 9. Yan was defeated by a split decision.

On October 22, 2022, Yan and Sean O’Malley squared off at UFC 280. He was defeated by a split decision. The outcome was viewed as being very contentious, with many fans and competitors passionately stating that Yan should have won. 26 media sources evaluated the fight favorably for Yan, 25 of them.