History of Petr Yan in Timeline
Petr Evgenyevich Yan is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC Bantamweight division. He is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion and also a former ACB Bantamweight Champion from his time in Absolute Championship Berkut. As of April 16, 2024, he is ranked #3 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.
February 1993: Birth
Petr Yan was born in February 1993.
December 2014: MMA Debut
In December 2014, Petr Yan made his MMA debut at the Eurasian Fighting Championship - Baikal Fight, winning by knockout against Murad Bakiev.
October 2015: Victory over Kalamov
Petr Yan defeated Murad Kalamov by unanimous decision in October 2015, earning a title shot against Magomed Magomedov.
2015: ACB Signing and Early Fights
Yan signed with Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB) in 2015 and gained popularity after victories against Renato Velame, Kharon Orzumiev, and Artur Mirzakhanyan.
March 2016: First Career Loss
In March 2016, Yan lost to Magomed Magomedov by split decision at ACB 32, despite many believing he won, including ACB president Mairbek Khasiev. This was voted ACB's best fight of the year.
September 2017: Title Defense
Yan defended his ACB bantamweight title in September 2017, knocking out Matheus Mattos in the third round.
2017: ACB Bantamweight Champion
In 2017 at ACB 57, Yan defeated Magomed Magomedov in a rematch by unanimous decision, becoming the ACB bantamweight champion.
January 2018: UFC Signing
In January 2018, Petr Yan signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
June 2018: UFC Debut
Yan debuted in the UFC on June 23, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 132, defeating Teruto Ishihara by TKO in the first round.
September 2018: UFC Fight Night 136
In September 2018 at UFC Fight Night 136, Yan defeated Jin Soo Son by unanimous decision, earning Fight of the Night honors. Son missed weight for the fight.
December 2018: UFC 232 Victory
On December 29, 2018, at UFC 232, Petr Yan defeated Douglas Silva de Andrade via TKO in the second round.
January 2019: New UFC Contract
In January 2019, Yan signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC.
February 2019: UFC Fight Night 145
Yan defeated John Dodson by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 145 in February 2019.
June 2019: UFC 238
Yan defeated Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision at UFC 238 in June 2019.
December 2019: UFC 245
At UFC 245 in December 2019, Yan knocked out Urijah Faber in the third round, earning a Performance of the Night bonus.
July 2020: UFC Bantamweight Champion
In July 2020, at UFC 251, Yan defeated Jose Aldo by TKO in the fifth round to win the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship.
December 2020: Scheduled Bout Cancellation
Yan's title defense against Aljamain Sterling, initially scheduled for December 2020 at UFC 256, was cancelled.
March 2021: Disqualification Loss
In March 2021, at UFC 259, Yan lost his bantamweight title to Aljamain Sterling by disqualification due to an illegal knee in the fourth round.
October 2021: Interim Bantamweight Champion
Yan won the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship in October 2021 at UFC 267, defeating Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision after Sterling withdrew. This fight earned Fight of the Night.
January 2022: Rematch Rescheduled
The rematch between Yan and Sterling was rescheduled from March 5th to April 9th, 2022 for UFC 273.
March 2022: Title Unification Loss
The title unification rematch with Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 was initially scheduled for March 2022.
October 2022: Controversial Loss to O'Malley
Yan lost a controversial split decision to Sean O'Malley at UFC 280 in October 2022, despite most media outlets scoring the fight for Yan. This fight got Fight of the Night, but also "2022 Robbery of the Year" by Sherdog.
2022: Yan's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
During Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 2022, Petr Yan expressed his hope for peace by posting an image on social media depicting the two countries' flags alongside a dove, symbolizing peace.
March 2023: Loss to Dvalishvili
Yan lost to Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili in March 2023.
December 2023: Withdrawal from UFC Fight Night 233
Yan withdrew from a scheduled fight against Song Yadong at UFC Fight Night 233 in December 2023 due to an injury.
March 2024: Victory over Song Yadong
Despite suffering a groin injury before the fight and tearing his ACL and meniscus during the first round, Yan defeated Song Yadong by unanimous decision at UFC 299 in March 2024.
April 2024: UFC Bantamweight Ranking
As of April 2024, Petr Yan was ranked #3 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.