Petr Yan calls out former UFC champ on a three-fight win streak: "Time to shake up the division"
Petr Yan got back in the win column earlier this year and now wants to fight a streaking, ranked bantamweight to keep his momentum going. After snapping a three-fight losing skid to Aljamain Sterling, Sean O'Malley, and Merab Dvalishvili, Yan bested Song Yadong at UFC 299 in March to get things back on track.
The former UFC bantamweight champion seems keen on getting back to that very same belt and took to social media to set his sights on a former champion in the promotion who is on a dominant winning streak at 135 pounds.
Deiveson Figueiredo previously held the UFC flyweight belt and is now the number-five-ranked bantamweight in the organization.
This spot in a new division came on the heels of victories over Rob Font, former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, and former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon 'Chito' Vera. That most recent win came in early August, but the Brazilian standout could already have his next assignment lined up if Yan gets his way.
On his personal X account, Yan said,
"Time to shake up the division. Where you at, @Daico_Deiveson?"
Check out Petr Yan's recent callout of Deiveson Figueiredo below:
Petr Yan and his place in the UFC bantamweight picture
Petr Yan is ranked third among the current crop of 135-pound combatants within the UFC. 'No Mercy' made a calculated callout in this instance given the present fight bookings within the upper echelon of the division, factoring in key bantamweight fights that recently transpired as well.
Former Yan opponents in number-one contender Merab Dvalishvili and current champion Sean O'Malley will do battle for the crown at Noche UFC 306 in the September 14 pay-per-view headliner.
Umar Nurmagomedov is fresh off a win over Cory Sandhagen which saw the number-two contender defeat the number-four contender in the weight category. Yan also has a previous win over Sandhagen at UFC 267 for the vacant interim bantamweight championship.
Also, with former flyweight and bantamweight UFC champion Henry Cejudo being just below Figueiredo in the number six spot of the division, Yan's desired opponent would best serve him in his abilities to climb back up the hierarchy.