Former bantamweight division champion Petr Yan has been booked for his next bout, where he will face hard-hitting opponent Marcus McGhee at the upcoming UFC event scheduled for July 26 in Abu Dhabi.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the promotion`s plans have confirmed the booking of this fight.
Yan`s return to competition comes eight months after securing a victory over Deiveson Figueiredo in a main event held in China. That win marked Yan`s second consecutive triumph, following his previous success against Song Yadong. These back-to-back wins ended a challenging period for the Russian fighter, who had previously experienced a three-fight losing streak, including split decision losses to Aljamain Sterling and Sean O`Malley, and a decisive defeat to future champion Merab Dvalishvili.
With two wins now under his belt consecutively, Yan is focused on reclaiming his position in the title picture and aims to achieve a third straight victory in July.
For Marcus McGhee, this fight represents the most significant opportunity of his career as he steps in to face a former champion. McGhee has maintained an unblemished 4-0 record in the UFC since his debut, securing three finishes along the way. His impressive run includes an initial submission victory, followed by two knockout wins, and most recently, a decision win over Jonathan Martinez in November of last year.
McGhee is now looking to make a definitive advancement up the rankings by competing against an opponent like Yan.
The UFC Abu Dhabi event scheduled for July 26 is slated to be headlined by a middleweight contest featuring former champion Robert Whittaker against Reinier de Ridder, who recently defeated Bo Nickal in May.
