Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo are expected to finally lock horns in the UFC octagon.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Yan and Figueiredo will meet at UFC Macau on Nov. 23. Leo Guimaraes first reported the booking on Twitter.
The contest is expected to be the five-round main event.
After a year away from competition, Yan returned to action at UFC 299 in March, defeating Song Yadong via unanimous decision to snap a three-fight losing streak. The former bantamweight champion had previously dropped back-to-back split decisions to then-champ Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, before suffering a lopsided decision to the new 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili.
Figueiredo has found tremendous success since making the move up from the flyweight division. The former 125-pound titleholder is 3-0 in his new division, which includes decision wins against Rob Font and Marlon Vera, along with a submission victory over past champ Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300.
In the UFC Macau co-main event, No. 2-ranked women’s strawweight contender Xiaonan Yan goes head-to-head with No. 10-ranked “Baby Shark” Tabatha Ricci. “Fury” is looking to rebound from her unanimous decision loss to Zhang Weili at UFC 300 while Ricci will be gunning for her third straight win.
UFC Macau will also feature the light heavyweight slugfest pitting Volkan Oezdemir against Carlos Ulberg. Elsewhere on the card, undefeated flyweight phenom Wang Cong returns to face battle-tested Brazilian Gabriel Fernandes, not long after Song Kenan and Muslin Salikhov hook ‘em up at 170 pounds.
Expect the finalized UFC Macau fight card to drop in a couple of days.
Is the first Macau fight?
Should be a good scrap that!
good match up
Event : UFC Macau: “Yan vs. Figueiredo”
Date : Sat., Nov. 23, 2024
Location : Galaxy Arena in Macau
Broadcast : ESPN+
Start Time : 3 a.m. ET Prelims Card | 6 a.m. ET Main Card
UFC Macau Main Event On ESPN+:
135 lbs.: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
UFC Macau Main Card on ESPN+ (6 a.m. ET):
115 lbs.: Xiaonan Yan vs. Tabatha Ricci
170 lbs.: Song Kenan vs. Muslim Salikhov
125 lbs.: Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes
205 lbs.: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg
205 lbs.: Zhang Mingyang vs. Ozzy Diaz
UFC Macau ‘ Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (3 a.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Zhu Kangjie vs. Xie Bin
135 lbs.: Su Young You vs. Balgyn Jenisuly
125 lbs.: Kiru Singh Sahota vs. Dong Hoon Choi
115 lbs.: Feng Xiaocan vs. Shi Ming
125 lbs.: Nyamjargal Tumendemberel vs. Carlos Hernandez
125 lbs.: Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Jose Ochoa
105 lbs.: Long Xiao vs. Quang Le
155 lbs.: Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Nikolas Motta
Petr Yan Says Title Shot Should be His With UFC Macau Win
During a media day session, Petr Yan spoke to the folks at UFC News through a translator. He explained why a UFC Macau win over Deiveson Figueiredo should get him the next bantamweight title shot (h/t Bloody Elbow).
“To be honest, I feel like I only have one real loss on my record, I believe that I’ll be able to compete with all of the top guys and challenge for a belt. Merab has been saying that he’s [Deiveson Figueiredo] the only real deserving challenger for his belt, so this is a good opportunity for me to get this position; beat him and challenge for the belt instead of him.
“Merab is currently champ but I believe that he’s not ready to defend his title just yet, especially against Umar; it seems like he is avoiding him. Also Umar, I believe he needs a couple of good wins too so with a win over Deiveson, I believe that I can get back into the title picture and challenge for the belt again.”
The 135-pound division had a shift at the top of the heap back in September. Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley to capture the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Now, it’s a race to see who will fight Dvalishvili next.