Yan was recently asked if he would be interested in a fight
Joshua Van if
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champion moves down to bantamweight. The Russian said that this question must be answered by Van, as the decision to change weight classes is his.
Why Petr Yan is hesitant to challenge Alexander Volkanovski at 145 pounds
“No Mercy” revealed that he is more interested in moving up to featherweight but doesn’t want to fight his friend, the reigning 145-pound champion. Alexander Volkanovsky.
“If someone wants to step up and challenge me, that’s a question for them, not for me,” Yan told Full Violence. “But personally, moving up seems interesting, maybe somewhere in the future. The only champion at 145 pounds is my friend Alex Volkanovski, so I don’t want to beat him.”
Yan (20-5) captured the bantamweight title in sudden victory Merab Dvalishvili (21-5) last December, more than two years after losing their first meeting lopsidedly. He is scheduled to defend the belt in a trilogy against Dvalishvili at
UFC 333 October 24 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Volkanovski (28-4) must defend his featherweight crown against an undefeated contender on the same card Movsar Evloev (20-0).
Peter Yan talks about moving to 145 and how he wouldn’t want to face his friend
Alexander Volkanovsky 👀 “Moving up sounds interesting to me, maybe somewhere in the future. The only champion at 145 pounds is my friend Alex Volkanovski, so I don’t want to beat him.” https://t.co/nZS1ORu3eT— Full Violence™ (@Full_Violence)
October 7, 2026