Russian bantamweight Petr Yan chose “No Mercy” as his fight name and after six fights in the UFC fans are joined in agreement that it is “no wonder” he did just that.
The 27-year-old from Yekaterinburg has been ruthlessly clinical, going about his business with the minimum of fuss and remaining unbeaten as he has marched – inexorably – towards a title tilt. That now comes against a walk-in future Hall of Famer in the Brazilian veteran and former featherweight champ Jose “Junior” Aldo (28-6) at UFC 251 on Sunday.
In the lead-up to the event Yan (14-1) has appeared, as always, focused and calm and collected, despite the disruptions the Covid-19 pandemic has laid before fighters, as it has the wider world.
“Even if I had no training I would come here and my motivation would be enough [to win],” Yan told international media at the UFC’s virtual media day.
Yan said he was “focused” and he was “happy” but you are always left with the feeling he’d much rather be pounding the pads than answering any questions about his craft.
“I’m glad to be fighting Aldo who is a legend of the sport,” said Yan, who has previously trained with the Brazilian. “Let’s see how the fight goes. If I have a chance to knock him out I will do it. My goal is to win and I don’t care how I do it. It was a great experience, training with him. We sparred, we grappled. It was four years ago and I have become a better fighter since that time. I don’t think he has become a better fighter. He’s stayed the same.”
Six years ago, Yan turned up at the fighter factory that is the Tiger Muay Thai gym on the Thai island of Phuket, with little at his disposal in terms of means of communication with the largely English and Thai speaking crew down there. But one simple workout showed there would be no confusion when it came to what Yan was all about.
Tiger’s boxing coach John Hutchinson would later work on expanding the Russian’s skill set and he’s in Abu Dhabi cornering for Yan this weekend.
“When we first met he had no English and I had a very thick Irish accent that anyone had trouble with. We actually laughed because we didn’t know what we were each saying,” recalled Hutchinson.
“But we didn’t need it. He had his body language, his smart IQ – and he is next level on the pads. I knew from that day this kid was something special. I wrote down in my notes from that day that he’d be world champion and I actually showed him that here in Abu Dhabi to remind him how far he has come.”
Inside the cage, Hutchinson points to Yan’s ability to outthink his opponents, and a “non-stop work ethic to be the best at everything he does”.
“Petr outside the cage is one the nicest guys you’ll meet, a young caring family man who’s got a beautiful family he loves and works so hard for everyone,” said Hutchinson. “A real top-class guy with a big heart deep inside his fighting side.”
As the UFC has cast its net across the globe in recent years, it has unearthed a generation of international fighters who have entered the fray seemingly title ready. That’s come via years of honing their craft through the graft and the grind of domestic circuits.
Think the Nigerian-Kiwi middleweight title-holder Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya (19-0), unbeaten at 8-0 in the UFC after his travels across the Asia-Pacific and its kick-boxing and MMA leagues. Think China’s strawweight queen Zhang “Magnum” Weili (21-1), at 5-0 in the UFC after doing much the same.
And now here’s Yan, at 6-0 in the UFC after forays to the likes of Irkutsk and Kaliningrad to take on all comers.
When the world at large first knew of Yan it was on debut, on the undercard, at UFC Fight Night 132 in Singapore in June 2018. UFC Hall of Famer Urijah “The California Kid” Faber (35-11) was in town looking after Teruto “Yashabo” Ishihara and he smiled when he was asked how the Japanese fighter might go against the Russian. “Let’s see,” said Faber. “This guy Yan is a gun.”
Ishihara lasted all of three-and-a-half minutes, during which time he was pummelled from pillar to post. Eighteen months later and Faber himself lasted longer against Yan at UFC 245 – until 0:43 of the third round, to be exact – but the result was the same. He was pretty much knocked senseless.
Back then in Singapore, welterweight-turned pundit Dan Hardy had put it plainly when he said backstage that in Yan he had just seen a champion in waiting. “He’s the complete package already,” he said.
Come Saturday night and Yan gets his chance to convince the wider world that’s exactly what he is.
