Petr Yan wants another shot at gold after taking out Marcus McGhee in the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event.
Despite facing a lower ranked opponent, Yan didn’t get distracted or take his opponent for granted as he went out and put on another classic performance. Yan displayed his signature striking and mixed things up enough that McGhee was stuck reacting to his every move.
When it was over, the judges all scored the fight 29-28 with Yan securing the victory.
“My opponent was a strong guy,” Yan said following
his win. “I’m very happy. My opponent was good.
“Now Merab [Dvalishvili] will fight Cory Sandhagen. Everybody knows I fought Cory Sandhagen, I beat him and now I want to fight who wins the title fight [next].”
Before he called for his shot at the bantamweight champion, Yan first had to dispatch McGhee, which was easier said than done during the early moments in the fight.
A slow start led into some hard exchanges between the bantamweights with Yan clubbing McGhee with a stiff hook and then McGhee firing right back at him. McGhee stayed active, trading punch for punch with Yan on the feet.
Yan connected with a hard shot but then McGhee came right back with one of his own that seemingly caught the Russian off balance.
The second round saw more aggression from Yan but McGhee was ready to meet the challenge as he blasted the former champion with several stiff shots. Just when McGhee was starting to gain confidence, Yan unloaded a massive shot that rattled his opponent.
McGhee was bleeding but refused to back down, although Yan hit him with another staggering right hand that probably would have put most fighters down. Yan started mixing things up even more before throwing another straight right that snapped McGhee’s head backwards in a violent motion.
While McGhee was hanging tough, Yan was punishing him with fast, rapid-fire combinations that really showed off his boxing acumen. Yan eventually closed the distance and actually looked for a takedown but ultimately started throwing thudding knees into McGhee’s legs.
Yan got a late trip takedown and grabbed onto a kimura briefly but McGhee was quick to reverse and get out of the position. The ending didn’t matter much by that point because Yan already secured the win as the former bantamweight champion continues his hunt to reclaim the title he lost just over four years ago.
More from mmafighting.com:
- Reinier de Ridder admits it’s ‘not looking good for ONE Championship,’ thankful UFC is keeping him busy
- LIVE! UFC Abu Dhabi Results: Whittaker vs. De Ridder
- Conor McGregor reacts to fire at Black Forge Inn: ‘You wouldn’t get through it with a rocket launcher’
- UFC Abu Dhabi predictions
- UFC 320: Heavy-hitting knockout artist returns on Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 fight card
- Daniel Cormier claps back at ‘insecure’ Jon Jones: ‘He just really is not the smartest person’
- Khalil Rountree calls out Magomed Ankalaev for trash talk: ‘It’s a f*cking toxic way of f*cking being’
