Petr Yan: record, style and what is next
Who Petr Yan is and where he stands
Petr Yan, known as "No Mercy", is the UFC bantamweight champion, with a record of 20-5 as of 20 October 2026. The UFC ranks him fourth on its men's pound-for-pound list, and Merab Dvalishvili is the number one contender at 135 pounds.
He was born on 11 February 1993 in Dudinka, in Russia's Krasnoyarsk Krai, is 33, stands 5 ft 7 in with a 67 inch reach and is based in Yekaterinburg. He won the belt for the second time by beating Dvalishvili at UFC 323 on 6 December 2025, and he defends it against the same man at UFC 333 on 24 October 2026. Our UFC 333 preview covers the full card.
How Petr Yan fights
Yan is a switch-stance boxer who wins by accuracy, pressure and a frame that is very hard to take down. His UFC page records 5.16 significant strikes landed per minute at 55 per cent accuracy, against 4.24 absorbed, and a takedown defence of 86 per cent.
The style is compact. He walks opponents down behind a layered high guard, uses small steps and hand fighting to read reactions, then counters or fires when they pause. He is at his sharpest striking on the break, and he adds kicks, knees, elbows and clinch work. He started with ITF taekwondo, then boxed for about eight years and earned Master of Sport in boxing.
His results reflect that. Of his 20 wins, 12 came by decision, seven by KO or TKO and one by submission, and his average fight time is 17 minutes 38 seconds. He grinds opponents down rather than racing them to a finish, and he rarely gets taken down himself. His knockdown average is 0.53 per 15 minutes, so the occasional stoppage, such as the Faber head kick, comes from volume and timing rather than one-punch power.
The road to the title
Yan debuted in December 2014 with a knockout of Murad Bakiev and won the 2015 Absolute Championship Berkut bantamweight grand prix. He lost a split decision to Magomed Magomedov for the ACB title in March 2016, won the rematch in April 2017 to take the belt, and defended it with a third-round TKO of Matheus Mattos that September.
In the UFC he knocked out Teruto Ishihara in June 2018 and beat Jin Soo Son, Douglas Silva de Andrade, John Dodson and Jimmie Rivera. He knocked out Urijah Faber with a head kick at UFC 245 in December 2019, then stopped Jose Aldo in round five of UFC 251 on 12 July 2020 to win the vacant title.
He lost the belt on a disqualification against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 in March 2021 after an illegal knee in round four. He then beat Cory Sandhagen for the interim title at UFC 267, lost a split decision to Sterling in their unification fight at UFC 273 in April 2022, and lost a split decision to Sean O'Malley at UFC 280. Dvalishvili beat him by unanimous decision in March 2023.
Along the way he has collected Fight of the Night awards at UFC 267, UFC 280 and UFC 323, and Wikipedia lists wins over three former UFC champions: Aldo, Figueiredo and Dvalishvili.
The recent run
Yan has won his last four, all by unanimous decision:
- Song Yadong, 9 March 2024 (UFC 299).
- Deiveson Figueiredo, 23 November 2024 (Macau): a five-round main event.
- Marcus McGhee, 26 July 2025 (Abu Dhabi).
- Merab Dvalishvili, 6 December 2025 (UFC 323, Las Vegas): scorecards of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
The Dvalishvili win is the one that mattered. Yan defended most of the champion's takedown attempts, sometimes by staying upright on one leg, and attacked the body with kicks, hooks and knees that visibly bothered Dvalishvili late. He added a slam in round three and a takedown late in round five, and Dvalishvili's nose was bloodied in the early rounds.
What happens next for Petr Yan
Yan defends the bantamweight title against Dvalishvili in the co-main event of UFC 333 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on 24 October 2026, over five rounds. It is the third meeting between them: Dvalishvili won the first in March 2023, Yan the second, so the series stands at 1-1.
A win would give Yan his fifth victory in a row and the first defence of his second reign. A loss would hand the belt straight back to the man he took it from.
FAQs
What is Petr Yan's record?
Petr Yan is 20-5 as of 20 October 2026. He has seven wins by KO or TKO, one by submission and 12 by decision. His five losses are four decisions and a disqualification against Aljamain Sterling. He has won his last four fights, all by unanimous decision.
Is Petr Yan the UFC bantamweight champion?
Yes. Yan won the belt for the second time by unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323 on 6 December 2025. He first won the vacant title against Jose Aldo at UFC 251 in July 2020, lost it by disqualification in 2021, and held the interim title after beating Cory Sandhagen.
Who is Petr Yan fighting next?
Yan defends the bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333 on 24 October 2026 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It is a five-round co-main event and the third fight between them. Dvalishvili won in March 2023, and Yan won in December 2025.
What is Petr Yan's fighting style?
Yan is a switch-stance boxer who pressures behind a high guard and counters. He lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at 55 per cent accuracy and defends 86 per cent of takedowns. He also uses kicks, knees, elbows and the clinch, and most of his wins have come by decision.
Where is Petr Yan ranked?
Yan is the bantamweight champion, so he leads the division rather than sitting in its contender list. The UFC lists him fourth on its men's pound-for-pound ranking. Merab Dvalishvili is ranked first among bantamweight contenders, ahead of Sean O'Malley, Song Yadong, Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista.