As the anticipation builds for UFC Macau this weekend, the spotlight shines brightly on the pivotal bantamweight clash between Deiveson Figueiredo and Petr Yan. With both fighters vying for a crucial spot in the title conversation, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has shared his favorite for the showdown.
Earlier today, Belal took to Twitter to back Yan and claimed that the Russian would walk away with an easy win.
“I think Petr Yan is gonna make it look easy.”
I think Petr Yan is gonna make it look easy
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) November 23, 2024
While Yan is a formidable fighter in himself, predicting an easy win for the Russian seems a bit far-fetched.
Since when have five-round Bantamweight battles ever been easy walkthroughs? This is the kind of matchup everyone dreams of—two former champs, both hungry for another shot at gold, going head-to-head.
While Umar “The Young Eagle” Nurmagomedov continues to circle around champion Merab Dvalishvili, a win at UFC Macau might see Yan or Figueredo leave him behind.
Figueiredo aiming to go 4-0 with a title shot in mind
With Dvalishvili not inclined to fight Nurmagomedov, Figueiredo will look to solidify his position with a statement win over ‘No Mercy’ Yan.
The former flyweight champ has been on fire since moving up to 135 pounds, going 3-0 with wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt, and Marlon Vera. Now, he’s ready to take on Yan , a former bantamweight titleholder.
Figueiredo believes a fourth straight win will secure his shot at the belt—and Merab seems on board.
“Merab has made it clear he wants to fight me,” Figueiredo said.
“I’m ready for that opportunity. Dana, send me the contract!”
But first, he’ll need to get past Yan, a man whose moniker proceeds him. Yan has been in some of the most vicious fights in UFC history, with wins over Cory Sandhagen and Jose Aldo Jr. Unfortunately, he has also only won one of his last four fights. But with a UFC average of 5.14 strikes landed per minute, he surely holds the superiority on feet.
But make no mistake, despite Figueiredo’s impressive grappling, Yan also has a takedown accuracy of 51% and a takedown defense of 85%, making him leagues above his opponent, at least on paper.
However, this is the fight game and everybody has a puncher’s chance, and Figueiredo is coming off of a hot winning streak. So Belal Muhammad might just be extremely incorrect in his prediction.
