UFC News: Ex-Champ Petr Yan Clashes with Marlon Vera over Proposed Fight Date
"No Mercy" is currently recovering from surgery to repair his ACL and meniscus.
Things appear to be heating up between Marlon “Chito” Vera and former UFC champion Petr Yan ahead of a potential fight between the two bantamweights.
Currently the UFC’s #4-ranked bantamweight contender, Vera last stepped into the Octagon to challenge Sean O’Malley for the division’s title at UFC 299, losing a lopsided unanimous decision in their highly-anticipated rematch.
“Chito” has called for a matchup with Yan following his failed title bid, and it appears that the former champion is feeling confident about his chances against the Ecuadorian if and when they share the Octagon.
Yan’s comments drew a quick response from Vera, who kept things simple as he tried to encourage “No Mercy” into signing on for a fight at Madison Square Garden in November.
Ranked one spot above Vera as the UFC’s #3 bantamweight contender, Yan also fought at UFC 299 and snapped a three-fight skid when he earned a unanimous decision over Song Yadong.
“No Mercy” famously lost the UFC bantamweight title via disqualification in his first meeting with Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259, and after the 31-year-old came up short in their rematch the following year he also dropped a controversial split decision to current titleholder O’Malley at UFC 280.
All signs seem to point towards #1-ranked Merab Dvalishvili finally getting a crack at UFC gold next, but if a Vera vs. Yan fight does come together it would be a huge chance for each man to move closer towards a title shot and another meeting with O'Malley.
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