Peter to first: victory over Figueiredo brought Jan closer to the title

Russian fighter Peter Yan defeated Brazilian Davison Figueiredo at UFC Fight Night. Their fight headlined an evening of martial arts action at the Galaxy Arena in Macau. Yan stepped into the octagon with the Russian flag. The lightweight bout lasted all five rounds and ended with a unanimous decision of the judges in favor of Peter (50:45). Now on the account of 31-year-old Jan - 18 wins with five losses at the professional level. The 36-year-old Figueiredo has 24 wins, four losses and one draw. His next fight Peter can spend with the current champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Careful work

On November 23, the UFC Fight Night tournament took place in Macau, where Petr Yan faced Davison Figueiredo in the main event. The Brazilian previously competed at 57 kg, and recently fought at flyweight - the fight with Yan was to determine one of the next title challengers.

In March 2024, Petr Yan broke his streak of three consecutive defeats. The Russian defeated China's Sun Yadong by unanimous decision of the judges. Prior to that he had lost on points to Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O'Malley and Aljamain Sterling. If in the fight with O'Malley and the rematch with Sterling it was possible to see Peter's victory, Dvalishvili did not give the Russian a single round. However, it should be taken into account that Yan went to the fight with the Georgian with serious injuries - this did not allow to open up to the fullest extent.

Former UFC 57 kg champion Davison Figueiredo had 17 fights in the UFC - four more than Yan. The Brazilian has 13 wins, three losses and one draw, but most of his fights have taken place in the lightest category - up to 57 kg. Only the last three fights Figueiredo spent in the lightest weight (up to 61 kg). First, he defeated Rob Font by decision, then choked out another former champion, Cody Garbrandt, and finally outpointed Marlon Vera.

In the first seconds of the fight Figueiredo tried to go to the feet - at first he failed, but then the Brazilian moved Peter out of the clinch with an underhook and then tried to go behind his back. Yang defended as best he could, but Figueiredo clinched tightly and did his best to control the Russian. At some point Davison got caught up, and Jan made a sweep, ending up on top. From the guard, Petr tried to improve his position and landed quite few punches, also because the Brazilian was in his way, pressing Jan's head against his body. Towards the end of the segment Petr began to hit more often, but Figueiredo found a moment to go up to the rack, where the round ended.

Tough night: Yang promises Davison Figueiredo a tough fight

Peter wants a new title shot, but another former UFC champion is in his way

The second five-minute period began with Petr working cautiously at range. Front kicks and low kicks made his opponent uncomfortable and denied him the opportunity for a takedown. Figueiredo deflected a high kick to the head and immediately responded with a kick to the body. The Brazilian's attempts to take the fight to the canvas failed, and Petr's combinations caught Deiveson off guard, but didn't faze him. Figueiredo also showed his jab, throwing two good spinning back kicks in a row that looked dangerous. But Davison still wanted to fight in the box, and his translations were frankly bad. Five seconds before the siren Jan spectacularly hooked his opponent - a good final round.

At the start of the third segment Petr was in no hurry: in the corner he was told that Figueiredo was waiting until the last moment for him to take the initiative to respond. But after a minute the Brazilian moved Jan - the latter almost immediately stood up and immediately caught Davison with a right uppercut. The Brazilian went down, but he couldn't finish him. Jan was in the guard, tried to go behind his back, but his opponent brought the fight back to the rack. Overhands from Figueiredo flew by, and Jan actively pressed and hit more often. The Brazilian took a lot of punches to the head and was clearly shaken. The third segment definitely goes to Yang.

At the very beginning of the fourth round, Peter hooked his opponent, but he immediately got up after the fall and checked Jan's body with a mid-kick. The Brazilian's leg pass again failed, then he pinned Jan to the net and tried to convert from the clinch, but also unsuccessfully. Jan threw a high kick and knocked out Figueiredo's mouthpiece - the fight had to be stopped. Then an uppercut from the Brazilian flew by, and with a minute and a half to go, Yang led 26-1 in the number of punches to the head. In the end, the rivals clashed, which led to a knockdown from Figueiredo! Peter went down, but got right back up and delivered a few more punches. This round can be given to either one or the other.

Merab's Answer

In the final stretch, Yan was delivering uppercuts, but he was also missing hard punches - for example, Figueiredo hit with a whipping elbow. Peter also tried to pass to the legs, but Davison successfully defended. Then the Brazilian punched the Russian in the liver - the latter responded with a backfist. The opponents exchanged accentuated punches, and Figueiredo was at least as good. The fifth round was also very close: both men raised their hands in victory, but it was a mystery what the judges would decide.

In terms of statistics, Jan was much better in all the main components - in punches, takedowns, and control in the parterre. Peter outpointed Figueiredo in all rounds. Before the decision was announced Jan and Figueiredo jumped on the cage, hugged and talked about something. And the score turned out in Jan's favor - all the judges gave him all the rounds!

- I felt that I was leading, but in the UFC everything happens, - Jan reacted to his victory. - I've been knocked over once already very badly. Before the fight Merab said that Davison is the first challenger who deserves the title. Now I want to say, "Merab, what do you say when I beat the first challenger? I want a rematch with you!" I want to thank all the fans from CIS and Russia, everyone who came to support, thank you!

"What a fight! I'm impressed with Petr Yan's performance this evening," Dvalishvili wrote on his social media accounts. - Let's do it [make the fight], Petr. I'm ready for you."

Petr and Merab first met in March 2023. Since then, Yan and Dvalishvili have each had two victorious fights.