Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan has his next assignment when he faces heavy-handed foe Marcus McGhee in a new fight booked for the UFC’s upcoming return to Abu Dhabi on July 26.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday. MMA Mania initially reported the matchup.
With contracts issued and in place, Yan returns to action eight months after his latest win over Deiveson Figueiredo in a main event fight that took place in China. That win marked Yan’s second victory in a row after he also defeated Song Yadong, which ended a three-fight skid for the Russian after he dropped split decision to Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley before a lopsided defeat to future champion Merab Dvalishvili.
With back-to-back wins, Yan returns to the title hunt and he looks to make it three in a row when he fights in July.
Meanwhile, McGhee is getting the biggest opportunity of his career as he faces a former champion following a perfect 4-0 start in the UFC including three finishes along the way. Following a submission win his debut, McGhee scored knockouts in his next two fights before earning a decision victory over Jonathan Martinez this past November.
Now McGhee looks to take a decided step up the ladder when he faces Yan in July.
The UFC Abu Dhabi card set for July 26 is headlined by a middleweight showdown between former champion Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder, who returns after knocking off Bo Nickal back in May.
Mike Heck contributed to this report
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