For a division that has dealt with so much uncertainty in the aftermath of Henry Cejudo’s abrupt retirement, Saturday’s UFC 267 co-main event seemed to only confirm what most assumed the entire time: Petr Yan is the best 135-pound fighter in the world.
Yan, who lost his title by disqualification to Aljamain Sterling in a March fight he was handily winning, soundly outpointed top contender Cory Sandhagen in a five-round thriller to capture the interim title and a rematch with Sterling.
As the growing new face of the sport’s deepest division, the 28-year-old Yan has the perfect mix of violent tendencies with nearly every strike he throws and a veteran poise to how he efficiently executes it. Frankly, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find any kind of fault or weakness to his overall game.
Although Yan won’t get to call himself the “real” champion a second time until he officially completes the job against Sterling, which is admittedly no guarantee, it became clear against Sandhagen that Yan was simply operating at a level even higher than elite.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.
Yan spent most of the opening round taking a snap shot of Sandhagen’s unorthodox striking patterns before making the necessary adjustments to begin countering with heavier shots. His takedown defense was also a huge part of how Yan was able to pull away convincingly in a fight seemingly so even between pound-for-pound level talents.
The future will get no easier for Yan in such a dangerous division with former champion TJ Dillashaw lingering along with the future breakout star potential of Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishili. And that says nothing about the perfect mix of old and new names that help fill out an all-star top 10 in the rankings.
Yan seems pre-naturally determined to deal with it all, however, as he showed nothing that would suggest his mental lapse against Sterling was nothing but a painful aberration. Yan has the mental toughness and a nasty enough exterior to make the division his own, even if his success brings back the potential of a showdown against a returning Cejudo.
For CBS Sports’ updated divisional rankings, click here.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
Dropped out: Jon Jones (inactivity)
Just missed: Justin Gaethje, Cyril Gane, Aljamain Sterling, TJ Dillashaw, Glover Teixeira
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
Dropped out: None
Just missed: Jessica Andrade, Germaine de Randamie, Holly Holm, Marina Rodriguez, Katlyn Chookagian
