Petr Yan Considering Change in Camp, Targets Return at UFC 299

Petr Yan believes he needs a new team to bounce back from his recent slump.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title holder was undefeated in the promotion leading up to a disqualification title loss to Aljamain Sterling in 2021. While Yan bounced back from that loss with a decision win over Cory Sandhagen, the former champ never managed to fully regain his momentum.

“No Mercy” subsequently went on a three-fight skid, including a unanimous decision loss against Merab Dvalishvili in his most last outing at UFC Fight Night 221.More recently, an undisclosed injury forced Yan out of a rumored headlining bout opposite Yadong Song on Dec. 9.

Yan claims that he is healthy and that he has a date in mind for his UFC return.

“The health is great,” he told XTRA MMA. “There’s no preparation at this moment. Yes, I am ready. I’m waiting for the information [from the UFC]. I plan on fighting in March at UFC 299 ... I’d like it to be someone from the Top 10. It depends on the promotion, who they will choose. If they decide they want to make a particular fight, they’ll do all they can to make it happen.”

Yan is also looking to bring about significant changes in his team, or potentially, set up a new one in order to make himself relevant in the bantamweight title picture.

“I know I should,” he said. “I should try to modernize my training camp in some way, my coaching team. Change something, implement something new, correct some things. I’ll try to make that happen so you can see some changes in the future. It’s people, it’s sparring partners, coaching staff, it’s team that’s the most important thing. The new coaching team needs to be created, formed rather. The team I’ll be preparing with, that will be there with me at the arena, etc.”