Petr Evgenyevich Yan (russian: Пётр Евге́ньевич Я́н, translit=Pyotr Yevgenyevich Yan; born 11 February 1993) is a Russian professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

. He currently competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

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 Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Russian mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. To date, most events have been ...

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 Dudinka (russian: Дуди́нка; Nenets: Тут'ын, ''Tutꜧyn'') is a town on the Yenisei River and the administrative center of Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It used to be the administrative center of Ta ...

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 Si ...

, 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 Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

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 Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR (russian: Единая Всесоюзная спортивная классификация) is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for both athletes an ...

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 Siberian Federal University (russian: Сибирский федеральный университет, ''Sibirskiĭ federalʹnyĭ universitet'', often shortened to SibFU, СФУ) is a multidisciplinary university located in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia ...

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 List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n promotion

. 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 Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

career. However, Yan won this fight by decision. In Yan's third fight, he fought and beat Kharon Orzumiev by first-round

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

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 for the championship belt in the bantamweight division. Yan fought Magomed Magomedov 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 English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Ed Arthur at ACB 41: Path to Triumph, in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. In the spring of 2017, Yan was scheduled to have a rematch with Magomed Magomedov 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 Teruto Ishihara (born July 23, 1991) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who previously competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2011, he has formerly competed for S ...

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 Douglas Silva de Andrade (born June 22, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Silva de Andrade grew up in Castanhal, Brazil. He has an o ...

on 15 September 2018 at the

UFC Fight Night 136 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 136'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 15, 2018 at Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Background The ev ...

. 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

for

UFC 232 ''UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on December 29, 2018 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout b ...

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 Jimmie Ernesto Rivera (born June 29, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer, currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Prior to signing with BKFC, Rivera competed in the UFC's Bantamwei ...

on 8 June 2019 at

UFC 238 ''UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 8, 2019 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Bantamweight Champi ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. On 26 June, it was reported that Yan had to undergo surgery due to

synovitis Synovitis is the medical term for inflammation of the synovial membrane. This membrane lines joints that possess cavities, known as synovial joints. The condition is usually painful, particularly when the joint is moved. The joint usually swel ...

in his left elbow. Yan faced

Urijah Faber Urijah Faber (born May 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and actor who is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competed as a bantamweight and formerly competed as a featherweight. He is also the founder of Team Alpha Male ...

on 14 December 2019 at

UFC 245 ''UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 14, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. B ...

. 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 UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

''award. After the fight with Faber, Yan was critical of bantamweight champion,

Henry Cejudo Henry Cejudo (born February 9, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He is the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight Champion and Bantamweight Champion. He is the fourth UFC fighter to h ...

, 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 Dominick Cruz (born March 9, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Cruz ha ...

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

, Cejudo announced he would be retiring from mixed martial arts competition vacating the

UFC Bantamweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

. Yan then faced former WEC and

UFC Featherweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

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 arts, mixed martial artist. He last competed i ...

for the vacant title on 12 July 2020 at

UFC 251 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 ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in the fifth round. Yan was expected to make his first title defense against

Aljamain Sterling Aljamain Antoine Sterlinghttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2014_Results/02-22-14MMA.pdf (born July 31, 1989) is a Jamaican-American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ul ...

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, United ...

. 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 ''UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. Yan lost the fight by disqualification in the fourth round due to an illegal knee, losing the

. 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 ''UFC 267: Błachowicz vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 30, 2021, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background This event took plac ...

. However, on 25 September, Sterling withdrew from the contest due to lingering neck issues.

Cory Sandhagen Cory Sandhagen (born April 20, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2015, Sandhagen has also compete ...

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 ''UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 5, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. However, on 11 January 2022, it was announced that the bout was pushed back to

UFC 273 ''UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 9, 2022, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Backgroun ...

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 Champions ...

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

dove of peace Doves, typically domestic pigeons white in plumage, are used in many settings as symbols of peace, freedom, or love. Doves appear in the symbolism of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and paganism, and of both military and pacifist groups. Mytho ...

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(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 ...

(One time) ** Fight of the Night (Three times) **

(One time) **Tied for second longest win streak in UFC Bantamweight history (7) * Crypto.com **''Fan Bonus of the Night'' *

** 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

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 , Sean O'Malley , Decision (split) ,

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Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

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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 Vegas ...

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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