Petr Yan has only fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship three times, but he’s slowly carving a name as one of the bantamweight division’s most exciting prospects. He’s raked in two impressive finishes and a decision win that earned him Fight of the Night honors.
This weekend, he’ll go up against former title challenger John Dodson in a battle of heavy hitters for UFC Fight Night 145. As Yan prepares for the first big-name opponent in his career, learn more about him through these career-defining numbers.
26: Years of age. Yan was born on Feb. 11, 1993, in Dudinka, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. He learned taekwondo at a young age and later picked up boxing upon the influence of his elder brother.
64: Kilograms is the weight category where he achieved the rank of Master of Sport in Boxing in his home country of Russia.
5: Straight victories to start his professional career. Yan debuted on Dec. 20, 2013, in a Russian event called Siberian League: Baikal Cup 2014, where he knocked out Murad Bakieva with a single punch. He followed it up with four more triumphs in Russian promotions like Absolute Championship Berkut and Professional Fight Night.
3: Full rounds to defeat Murad Kalamov in the finals of the ACB Bantamweight Grand Prix, winning Performance of the Night honors. On the strength of this victory, he challenged Magomed Magomedov for the vacant ACB bantamweight title. While he lost by split decision, he later captured the title after a rematch and defended it once before getting signed by the UFC.
1: Round was all he needed to beat Teruto Ishihara in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 132. He dropped the more experienced Japanese with a solid right hand and followed it up with a couple more until referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight in the first round.
100: Significant strikes landed on Jin Soo Son in their UFC Fight Night 136 encounter. “No Mercy” completely outstruck the Korean, who could only land 58 strikes in return. His opponent did score a takedown but wasn’t able to inflict much damage. In the end, Yan was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
1: Fight of the Night award in the UFC. His back-and-forth war with the debuting Jin Soo Son was chosen as the night’s most exciting bout.
76: Significant strikes against Douglas Silva de Andrade’s 28 at UFC 232. Yan also scored three takedowns and remained active from the top every time. He eventually won via corner stoppage after the second round.
52: Percent striking accuracy. Yan has only fought in the UFC three times, yet he has already attempted 390 significant strikes and landed 201.
3: Countries in which he has fought in. Yan spent most of his career fighting in Russia. But since getting signed by the UFC, he has fought in Singapore and the United States. UFC Fight Night 145 will mark his fourth as the event will take place in the Czech Republic.