Petr Yan interested in fighting T.J. Dillashaw when former champ returns from suspension
Petr Yan has his eye on former UFC bantamweight champion, T.J. Dillashaw.
Yan is coming off a TKO win over Urijah Faber at UFC 245 that cemented himself as a top contender in the bantamweight division. Many assumed the Russian could be getting a title shot but with Jose Aldo set to battle Henry Cejudo, Yan is on the outside looking in. He also recently called out Aljamain Sterling for a number one contender bout.
But, for Yan, he doesn’t care who his next opponent will be and instead is just focused on the belt.
“There’s no dream fight for me, no desired opponent. My main goal is the belt,” Yan told RT Sport. “Right now, Cejudo has it. If anyone else has the belt, the name isn’t the main thing. The main thing is the belt itself.”
Although he doesn’t have a desired opponent right now, one name he is interested in is T.J. Dillashaw. He says a scrap against the former champion would be exciting for Petr Yan.
“I’ve been asked about it. People are saying it would be very interesting to see us fight, because we have similar styles, we’re both stand-up fighters, we both have hard shots and both look to finish fights as soon as possible,” he said. I’d be interested in this fight. Ever since I started my career I’ve watched his fights. I like him as a fighter, I think he’s a competitive fighter. So I’d be glad to fight him in the future. And I think it will happen.
“It’s just about one year and he’ll be back,” he continued. “He’s a big name, I think he’ll be back to the rankings when he comes back, so I think we’ll fight.”
Even though Dillashaw is currently suspended for drug use, Petr Yan doesn’t care as he knows on fight night he will be clean.
“No, I don’t care,” Petr Yan said. He’s been caught, and he’s not denying it. But as I said, I don’t really care. He’ll be tested more carefully. So on fight night he’ll be clean.”
