Petr Yan is hoping that a victory over Marcus McGhee in the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event, which takes place this Sat. night (July 26, 2025) at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, will be enough to secure a rematch against reigning bantamweight titleholder, Merab Dvalishvili.
“The Machine” steamrolled “No Mercy” at UFC Las Vegas back in early 2023.
“I am hoping for that,” Yan told MMA Junkie. “I think it’s the right thing to do. I don’t think there’s anybody who is ranked higher that deserves
this more than I do. I think with a competent win this Saturday, I’ll make sure to cement my place as the next contender.”
The 32 year-old Yan (18-5) lost the bantamweight crown to Aljamain Sterling in early 2022 and only competed four times over the next three years, but is coming off consecutive unanimous decision wins over Yadong Song and Deiveson Figueiredo.
As for Dvalishvili, his next assignment takes place in the UFC 320 co-main event against longtime contender, Cory Sandhagen. “The Sandman” was defeated by Yan at UFC 267 in late 2021 and would likely rematch “No Mercy” with an upset win in October.
Unless the promotion needs Yan sooner.
“I’m happy to be a backup if needed for this fight,” Yan continued. “I think that Merab is definitely going to push his rhythm, push his pace, push his style and make an uncomfortable style. But Sandhagen also has a chance. I think he has a chance to win.”
We’ll find out in just a few months.
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