Petr Yan will be fighting for UFC gold on July 11 and he isn’t short on confidence.
Yan will share the Octagon with former featherweight ruler Jose Aldo on the main card of UFC 251. Yan vs. Aldo will be contested for the vacant UFC bantamweight championship. The action will be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Petr Yan Feels He Can Beat Any 135-Pounder
MMAJunkie.com caught up with Yan a month before his first UFC title opportunity. “No Mercy” had praise for Aldo but expressed confidence in his own abilities to get the job done against any bantamweight.
“Aldo is a very experienced and well-trained fighter,” Yan said. “He doesn’t make many mistakes. He will be ready to go the full distance. But I believe I have the ability and tools to defeat him. I have no doubt it will be an exciting contest because our styles match up very well.
“I envision this fight will end with my hand being raised. I believe I can defeat every fighter in my division.”
Yan has been on quite a tear. He is riding a nine-fight winning streak. His record under the UFC banner is a perfect 6-0. Yan has amassed a pro MMA record of 14-1. His lone defeat was a split decision loss to Magomed Magomedov back in March 2016.
When Yan steps inside the Octagon on July 11, he’ll do so against a man who once terrorized the 145-pound division. Aldo is regarded by many as the greatest featherweight of all time and he’s looking to elevate his legacy even further by capturing UFC gold in another weight class.
Not only would a win for Aldo bring him UFC gold once again but it would also snap a two-fight skid. Yes, Aldo is getting a title shot coming off back-to-back losses. UFC president Dana White’s argument is that Aldo’s resume speaks for itself and his split decision loss to Marlon Moraes was close enough to warrant a title shot.
