"Before the fight, I remembered an episode from Muhammad Ali's career"

On the morning of December 10, Peter Yan returned to Russia after winning the UFC belt. The Russian fighter defeated Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision and regained the title he had lost in 2021. At Yekaterinburg airport, Jan was met by his wife and children, his mother, friends, fans and journalists. Peter devoted some time to the latter, answering the most pressing questions.

— How long-awaited was this victory?

— It was a great opportunity for me to come back, prove myself and prove that I am who I am. The mood for a fight? You always have to go win, plus for me this fight was a rematch — it's more emotional and important. That's why I was more cool-headed and collected. We managed to implement everything.

— Did the motivation from your coach Ilyas Khamzin help you in the fifth round?

— Yes, of course, it helped. Ilyas and I have known each other for about 15 years, and we have been in similar scrapes where it was necessary to use such words. Ilyas was setting himself up there, to be honest (laughs).

— After the fight, Merab said that you didn't have a fight in the duel, because he wanted to give a spectacle. Were you surprised by these words?

— I just had a different plan — to inflict maximum damage and injure from the first round. He just didn't expect it, he started to break down with every blow.

— Many people say that the decisive moment was that middle kick to the liver, which then broke Merab. Did you feel that this particular blow decided the outcome of the battle?

— I don't think that this particular blow decided the outcome of the fight. These strikes are cumulative. Merab is a tough guy, it's obvious that he held on. I think a lot of people would have crouched down from such a blow — that's 100%. Because I've been hit like that in training. But we must pay tribute to him — he is a tough fighter, he held on.

— After the fight, you and Merab exchanged remarks, everything is quite friendly, not like before. Do you suppose that after the trilogy you will become friends, practice in the same camp?

"Lines?" This is my manager [Sayat Abdrakhmanov], probably communicating with him. No, no, I don't think we're going to be friends for sure.

— Is it more difficult to fight for the belt yourself or to watch a friend fight?

— Whenever you go out with someone, you worry. We're already being escorted out, the music has started playing, and I have an episode from Muhammad Ali's career in my head. When he turns to the team and says, "Smile, did we come here?" They're all so screwed up, too. I say, "Hey, smile, we're going to make a lot of noise now!" And let's fly! The fifth round? I understood that he was very important in championship fights, because the audience, the judges, they have the last impression after the last round. This is an important factor. That's why I knew that in the fifth round I had to give it my all and take it.

Peter the Great: how Yang regained the UFC title

A natural victory over Dvalishvili — the Russian fighter was better in everything

— Did you think before the fifth round, what was the score according to the judges' notes?

— I knew exactly what I was doing in the rounds. It's just that the moment is such that I wasn't concentrating on it, my task was to win every round so as not to leave any [questions] at all. Or I should have won ahead of schedule, but it almost didn't work out.

— You said that you don't care which opponent you fight. But, in your opinion, is Umar Nurmagomedov or Merab more stylistically difficult for you?

— I think both are difficult. There is no such thing that someone is lighter. I've already fought Merab twice. Merab fought with Umar, ran over Umar altogether. So I don't know, time will tell.

— What does it feel like when you can finally perform with our national flag?

— Damn, even when I was forbidden, I went out with him. I told: "I won't go without a flag!" I think going out with the flag of your country is very cool, especially nowadays. Every self-respecting athlete comes out with a flag. It's always been like this: at the Olympic Games, the World Championships. It was all invented to unite the nations. That's why I think it's worthy to go out with a flag, it's a great example for young people.

— Your opponent spoke unfavorably about Russians. Did it have any effect on the fight?

— Well, you saw the fight. So that's how it affected!

— Do you want to be a champion who often defends the belt?

— I already have a fourth belt: a third in the UFC and one in the ACB. Everything will depend on the condition and on what terms will be offered in the UFC. If everything matches up, then I want to be active, I want to perform, because I'm not a young athlete anymore. Time is ticking, we need to act.