Back in the Saddle

More than a year has passed since Rani Yahya last set foot inside the Octagon, a cold reality that has made him that much more of a forgotten man in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division. He was booked opposite Cody Garbrandt twice in 2022, only to have recurring health issues nix those plans.

“This is the longest time I’ll have been without a fight since I started MMA, but it was time that I needed,” Yahya told Sherdog.com. “I had a serious neck injury that caused me to drop out of the fight with Garbrandt. It was going to be my biggest fight ever. He’s a former champion and a big name, and it was going to be a co-main event. It was going to be big for me.

“I had to stop and treat my injury,” he added. “It was negatively affecting my quality of life. I couldn’t even sleep. I could do next to nothing. I lost a lot of strength in my arm. I had to forget I was a UFC fighter and completely shift my focus. When I finally turned all that off, I was able to start rehabbing. Now, I’m better than I was before the injury.”

Yahya’s confidence in modern medicine will be put to the test when he returns to the cage to face Montel Jackson as part of the UFC Fight Night 222 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, Jackson has compiled a 6-2 record since he arrived on the UFC roster and steps into his latest assignment on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. The 30-year-old Milwaukee native last appeared at UFC 281, where he took a unanimous decision from Julio Arce in their three-round encounter on Nov. 12.

“He has a longer reach, and he’s a lefty,” Yahya said. “I think a lot of folks have a hard time facing him due to those factors, but that’s fine by me. I’ve faced several opponents like that throughout my career, and I always did well. I think that will help me in the end. I’m confident in facing him.”

Operating out of American Top Team, Yahya has not competed since he laid claim to a unanimous verdict over Kyung Ho Kang at UFC Fight Night 198 on Nov. 20, 2021. The win improved his UFC mark to 12-4, but his layoff now sits at more than 500 days.

“The main thing for me was to feel good enough to fight,” Yahya said. “I would never place myself in a situation where I’d fight only for the money. Money was never my main motivation. My motivation was always the challenge in front of me. Now, I’m happy. I spent a lot of money on the training camps for the fights that didn’t happen, but everything happens for a reason. I’ll fight and make up for it all.”

Preparation for a return to action has stoked the longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s competitive fires. Yahya turns 39 in September.

“I’ve been in this career for over 20 years,” he said. “It has been a very long time. I feel that I keep getting better, as each fight is greater than before. The sport keeps growing, and the UFC is responsible for that. My next bout is always the most important, and that increases my motivation.”