Petr Evgenyevich Yan (russian: Пётр Евге́ньевич Я́н, translit=Pyotr Yevgenyevich Yan; born 11 February 1993) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC), where he is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. Yan formerly fought in Absolute Championship Berkut where he is a former ACB Bantamweight Champion. As of December 13, 2022, he is #2 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.

Early life

Yan was born to a father of mixed Chinese-Georgian descent and a Russian mother. In sixth grade, Yan began training in ITF Taekwon-do and often fought in the streets and at the school in his area, so his family often moved to try and prevent this. Yan's older brother trained in boxing in the city of Dudinka,

Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in ...

, and Petr wanted to learn how to box too. But his elder brother initially refused to take Petr along with him, thus Petr decided to sneak and follow his brother to go to learn the

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

. From then on, Petr went on to train in boxing for 8 years and achieved the rank of Master of Sport in

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

in the 64 kg weight category. Petr Yan also graduated from the Siberian Federal University in the city of

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

with a degree in Physical Culture and Sport.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Yan debuted in MMA at the Eurasian Fighting Championship - Baikal Fight in December 2014. He won via third-round knockout over Murad Bakiev, who was also a debutant. In 2015, Yan signed a contract with the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

n promotion Absolute Championship Berkut. He was said to have gained many fans after his debut with the promotion where he fought Brazilian fighter Renato Velame, who at the time, already had 26 fights in his MMA career. However, Yan won this fight by decision. In Yan's third fight, he fought and beat Kharon Orzumiev by first-round submission in just 47 seconds. In his following fight, Yan knocked out Artur Mirzakhanyan in the first round which was held at Professional Fight Night 10: Russia Cup.

Absolute Championship Berkut

On 24 October 2015, Yan faced Murad Kalamov and won the fight by unanimous decision. The win granted Yan the opportunity to fight

Magomed Magomedov Magomed Magomedov may also refer to: * Magomed Magomedov (fighter) (born 1991), Russian mixed martial artist * Magomed Gadjievich Magomedov (1957–2013), Russian judge * Magomed Magomedov (kickboxer) (born 1982), Russian kickboxer * Magomed Mago ...

for the championship belt in the bantamweight division. Yan fought

on 26 March 2016 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

at ACB 32: "The Battle of Lions". After going all five rounds, Magomedov won the fight by split decision and won the title at bantamweight; however, many felt that Yan had won the fight, including ACB president, Mairbek Khasiev who promised to book a rematch. Although Yan lost, this fight was voted as ACB's best fight of the year in 2016. Following his first professional loss, Yan returned to face English mixed martial artist Ed Arthur at ACB 41: Path to Triumph, in Sochi. He won the fight by unanimous decision. In the spring of 2017, Yan was scheduled to have a rematch with

on 15 April at ACB 57: Payback in Moscow. This time, Yan exacted revenge and defeated Magomedov by unanimous decision after fighting all five hard-fought rounds. He won the decision and ultimately was crowned the ACB bantamweight champion. Following his win, Yan returned in September 2017 to fight Brazilian contender Matheus Mattos at ACB: 71 in Moscow. After winning the first two rounds, Yan caught Mattos with a left uppercut which caused Mattos to fall to his back, making the referee stop the fight. He successfully defended his bantamweight title by third-round knockout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Following his first title defense, Yan signed a contract with the

in January 2018. Yan made his promotional debut against Teruto Ishihara on 23 June 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 132 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 132'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 23, 2018, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Back ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Yan was briefly scheduled to face top-14 UFC rankings Douglas Silva de Andrade on 15 September 2018 at the UFC Fight Night 136. However, Andrade pulled out of the fight on 9 August citing a foot injury, and he was replaced by Jin Soo Son. At weigh-ins, Son weighed one pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit of 136 pounds and he was fined 20 percent of his purse to Yan. Yan won the fight by unanimous decision. This win earned him the Fight of the Night award. A bantamweight bout was rescheduled between Yan and Douglas Silva de Andrade for UFC 232 on 29 December 2018. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two after de Andrade's corner stopped the fight. On 10 January 2019, Yan revealed on social media that he had signed a new, four-fight contract with the UFC. Yan faced John Dodson on 23 February 2019 at UFC Fight Night 145. Yan won the fight by unanimous decision, after landing hard punches and kicks whilst Dodson's back was against the cage. Despite his previous, few months old contract, Yan signed a new six-fight contract which was offered to him immediately after his win against Dodson. Yan faced Jimmie Rivera on 8 June 2019 at UFC 238. He won the fight by unanimous decision. On 26 June, it was reported that Yan had to undergo surgery due to synovitis in his left elbow. Yan faced Urijah Faber on 14 December 2019 at UFC 245. After largely dominating the striking exchanges and knocking Faber down in the second round, Yan ultimately won the fight via knockout in the third round. This win earned him the '' Performance of the Night ''award. After the fight with Faber, Yan was critical of bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo, stating that he is being ducked by Cejudo. “I think it’s pretty obvious he is ducking me and doing everything he can to avoid fighting me. All this talk about him wanting a bigger name is bullshit, he just wants easier fight for himself."

Bantamweight Championship

After Cejudo's title defense against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249, Cejudo announced he would be retiring from mixed martial arts competition vacating the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Yan then faced former WEC and UFC Featherweight Champion

José Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júniorhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CI3oOc0VAAAr_iv.jpg (, born 9 September 1986), commonly anglicized as Jose Aldo, is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He last competed in the Ultimate Fig ...

for the vacant title on 12 July 2020 at UFC 251. He won the fight via technical knockout in the fifth round. Yan was expected to make his first title defense against Aljamain Sterling on 12 December 2020 at

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, Unit ...

. However, it was announced on 22 November that the bout was cancelled from the UFC 256 card and the bout was rescheduled on 6 March 2021 at UFC 259. Yan lost the fight by disqualification in the fourth round due to an illegal knee, losing the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Two judges had Yan up 29-28 and one had Sterling up 29-28 before the illegal knee. A rematch with Sterling was expected to take place on 30 October 2021 at UFC 267. However, on 25 September, Sterling withdrew from the contest due to lingering neck issues. Cory Sandhagen stepped in as replacement with the bout being for the Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship. Yan won the bout via unanimous decision. This bout earned the '' Fight of the Night'' award. A title unification rematch with Aljamain Sterling was scheduled to take place on 5 March 2022 at UFC 272. However, on 11 January 2022, it was announced that the bout was pushed back to UFC 273 on 9 April. Yan lost the bout via a split decision. The fight also earned him third place in the ''"Fan Bonus of the Night"'' award. Yan faced Sean O’Malley on 22 October 2022 at

UFC 280 ''UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 22, 2022, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background A UFC Lightweight Champion ...

. He lost the bout via split decision. The decision was seen as highly controversial with many fans and fighters adamantly expressing their belief that Yan was the rightful winner. 25 out of 26 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Yan. The bout received the '' Fight of the Night'' bonus.

Personal life

Yan and his wife have two sons. During

Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Yan posted an image on social media of the countries' flags and a dove of peace.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** UFC Bantamweight Championship (One time) **

Interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...

UFC Bantamweight Championship (One time) ** Fight of the Night (Three times) ** Performance of the Night (One time) **Tied for second longest win streak in UFC Bantamweight history (7) * Crypto.com **''Fan Bonus of the Night'' * Absolute Championship Berkut ** ACB Bantamweight Championship (One time) *** One successful title defense ** ACB Bantamweight Grand Prix 2015 Champion *MMADNA.nl **2018 European Newcomer of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

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Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

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Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Petr Russian male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Russian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1993 births Living people Russian sportspeople of Chinese descent Russian sportspeople of Georgian descent People from Krasnoyarsk Krai Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Russian activists against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Sportspeople from Krasnoyarsk Krai