Petr Yan is back in the UFC title chase.
The former bantamweight champion scored his second win in a row on Saturday with an electric five-round decision over Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event of UFC Macau. In a contest more competitive than the judging indicated, Yan outstruck and outpaced Figueiredo with a volume attack in every round and fended off enough of the Brazilian’s takedowns to sweep a trio of 50-45 scorecards in his favor.
Afterward, Yan (18-5) called called for a rematch with UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, citing Dvalishvili’s recent assertions that Figueiredo (24-4-1) was the division’s true top contender.
“Before my fight, Merab [said] Deiveson Figueiredo is [the] No. 1 contender who deserves a title fight,” Yan said, having previously lost to Dvalishvili in March 2023. “I want to say, Merab, what you say now when I beat the No. 1 contender in my division? I want to do a rematch with Merab. Let’s get it.”
It was a vintage performance from Yan, 31, who won the striking battle by a margin of 190 to 53 and appeared one step ahead of the former two-time flyweight champion through large swathes of the bout.
Yan set the tone early by reversing a takedown in the opening round and smothering Figueiredo, 36, with ground-and-pound offense. From there, Yan never gave up the lead, defending five of Figueiredo’s next six takedown attempts and yielding just six seconds of control time throughout the rest of the contest, all the while leading the dance with a varied striking attack that included a third-round knockdown courtesy of a right uppercut. In the end, Yan dispatched Figueiredo to seal a perfect 2-0 campaign in 2024 and further distance himself from the three-fight losing streak that proceeded his title reign.
In defeat, Figueiredo now falls back into the pack after beginning his bantamweight run with a trio of consecutive wins that had him on the precipice of title contention.
In the night’s co-main event, Xiaonan Yan ended the upstart run of Tabatha Ricci with a one-sided decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) to defend her position at the forefront of the UFC strawweight ranks.
Competing for the first time since her April loss to UFC champion Zhang Weili, Yan (19-4) befuddled Ricci (11-3) and ultimately outclassed her Brazilian foe with a pinpoint striking attack to thrust herself right back into the title mix. Post-fight, Yan called for a rematch with Zhang, who was seated cageside.
Aside from the top two bouts, Carlos Ulberg (11-1) earned the most notable result on the card, winning a unanimous decision over Volkan Oezdemir (20-8) to extend his hot streak to seven straight victories in the UFC’s light heavyweight division and close in on a potential title shot against UFC champ Alex Pereira.
Wang Cong (6-1), the flyweight prospect best known for being the last women to defeat UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko in kickboxing, also suffered a stunning technical submission loss at the hands of Gabriella Fernandes (10-3), halting her pursuit of a Pereira-esque run at Shevchenko’s 125-pound belt.
UFC Macau took place at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, China.
Catch UFC Macau results and full card highlights below.
Main Card
Petr Yan def. Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Yan Xiaonan def. Tabatha Ricci via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Muslim Salikhov def. Song Kenan via KO (spinning wheel kick) at 3:49 of R1 | Watch KO
Gabriella Fernandes def. Wang Cong via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:49 of R2 | Watch submission
Carlos Ulberg def. Volkan Oezdemir via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Zhang Mingyang def. Ozzy Diaz via TKO (strikes) at 2:25 of R1 | Watch KO
Preliminary Card
SuYoung You def. Baergeng Jieleyisi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
DongHun Choi def. Kiru Sahota via KO (punch) at 2:36 of R1 | Watch KO
Shi Ming def. Feng Xiaocan via KO (head kick) at 0:46 of R3 | Watch KO | Xiaocan stretchered
Carlos Hernandez def. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lone’er Kavanagh def. Jose Ochoa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Xiao Long def. Quang Le via KO (punch) at 1:28 of R3 | Watch KO
Nikolas Motta def. Maheshate via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
