Petr Yan is making a statement that he wants to re-match with Merab Dvalishvili and gain back the UFC bantamweight title, and he emphasized that with a victory over Marcus McGhee in the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi.
Yan brought out his striking early, landing several low kicks and working combinations. McGhee did have his moments with his own combinations; however, Yan rocked McGhee late in the round with a left hook.
McGhee tried to push the pace early in the second, but Yan landed a right hand that busted him open. Yan brought out a mixture of striking attacks, working McGhee over in terms of volume and variety.
Yan continued t pressure in the third round, going on to earn 29-28 scores on all three judges' cards. Yan then called out the winner of the upcoming bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen.
Petr Yan Defeats Marcus McGhee By Decision In UFC Abu Dhabi Co-Main Event
Yan has now won three straight, also scoring victories over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo last year.
This marked just McGhee's second loss as a pro, dropping him to 10-2. He had won his first four UFC bouts, finishing Journey Newson, JP Buys, and Gastón Bolaños, before a decision win over Jonathan Martinez at UFC 309.