Highlights! Yan Stifles Figgy, Calls Out Merab

Today at 09:42 AM

Petr Yan may have punched his ticket to another UFC bantamweight title shot earlier today (Sat., Nov. 23, 2024) at UFC Macau LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Galaxy Arena in Macau, China, as the former champion produced a lopsided main event win over battle-tested veteran, Deiveson Figueiredo.

This event may have started super early in the morning for fight fans here in the U.S., but the hardcore enthusiasts had no issue waking up at 9 a.m. ET to see Yan vs. Figueiredo. While Yan was a sizeable favorite to take care of business in his return to the Octagon many believed Figueiredo would be game enough to make this a wild affair. It didn't disappoint.

Yan was certainly leading the way with incredible striking and distance control, but Figueiredo did well when given the opportunity. He even scored an early takedown over Yan and later found a home for a flash knockdown. That didn't deter Yan, though, as the former UFC champion commanded the pace of the fight. He would eventually score his own knockdown and shut Figueiredo out on all three scorecards 50-45. In all honesty, the fight was probably a little closer than that.

Nonetheless, Yan did more than enough to stifle Figueiredo's grappling advances and last-ditch knockout attempts to capture his second decision win of 2024. It's unknown at this time if Yan's performance early Saturday will be enough to score him the next UFC bantamweight title shot against current champion Merab Dvalishvili, but it's certainly possible.

Check out the full fight video highlights below:

For complete UFC Macau results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.