Petr Yan is eyeing a future move into Alexander Volkanovski’s division – but friendship stands in the way of a showdown with his Aussie mate.
The UFC bantamweight king has revealed his interest in testing himself at featherweight, while making it clear he has no desire to challenge Volk.
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“Moving up sounds interesting too, maybe somewhere in the future,” Yan told Full Violence.
But there is a catch.
“Just 145 pounds champ is my friend Alex Volkanovski, so I don’t want to beat him up.”
Yan’s comments came after he was asked about the possibility of facing flyweight champion Joshua Van should Van step up to bantamweight.
The Russian suggested that decision rested with Van, before revealing that a move of his own could appeal further down the track.
He stopped short of putting a timeframe on a featherweight move.
For now, both champions have business to take care of on the same card.
Volk defends his featherweight crown against unbeaten Russian Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, while “No Mercy” puts his bantamweight belt on the line in a trilogy fight with Merab Dvalishvili.
Yan reclaimed the title from Dvalishvili last December, avenging a defeat in their first meeting and setting up a decider at Etihad Arena on October 24.
And while Yan has ruled out trying to take Volk’s belt himself, he is also giving the Aussie a slight edge over his countryman.
In an interview with UFC Eurasia, Yan rated the featherweight title fight narrowly in the Windang Warrior’s favour.
“If Volkanovski is in good shape, good condition, then it might be a tough one for Movsar,” Yan said.
“In this scenario, to beat Volkanovski, Movsar will need to either submit him or knock him out. Just those two ways (to win).
“It’s an interesting matchup. 55/45 in favor of Volkanovski,” Yan continued.
“Movsar is younger and more motivated, but he still has to beat today’s version of Volkanovski.”
Yan is not alone in believing Evloev will need to ditch his usual winning formula to take the belt.
Fellow featherweight Aaron Pico has also backed Volkanovski’s ability to get back to his feet, suggesting takedowns alone will not be enough.
“For me, I believe that in order for Movsar to win this fight, he has to knock him out,” Pico told Full Mount MMA.
“Because I think it’s not as easy to hold Volkanovski down. I mean, he fought Islam and Islam had a hard time taking him down and holding him down.
“I think Movsar can take him down, for sure.
“But the problem is holding him down. Volkanovski’s going to be up to his feet, he’s going to be moving in, out, making reads.
“On the feet, I think Volk’s got him beat. So I think in order for Movsar to win, he’s gonna have to knock him out or catch him in a choke.”
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Volk himself has made a similar assessment, insisting Evloev will struggle if he can’t get a finish.
“So the best option for him will be to finish me, because he won’t be able to hit me for 25 minutes,” Volkanovski said.
That would require Evloev to do something he has never managed inside the UFC.
The unbeaten Russian has won all 10 of his fights in the promotion on the judges’ scorecards.
Meanwhile, Volk already has his eye on another featherweight making a charge towards the top.
The Aussie has flagged Argentina’s Kevin Vallejos as a potential opponent down the track – although Evloev remains his immediate focus.
“I never look past my opponent, like I am happy to talk about other opponents and fights after, knowing I am putting in the work for Movsar anyway,” Volkanovski said on the Precision podcast.
“There’s one guy, I haven’t watched enough of him but I’ve seen some highlights, he looks like a little animal, he’s Argentinian, Kevin Vallejos.”
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The 18-1 rising star has won his first four UFC fights and is set to face former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on November 21, following his latest win over Josh Emmett.
A win over Sterling would strengthen his case for a crack at the belt – and potentially put him on a collision course with Volk.
But the Aussie MMA icon admits timing could determine whether he gets to face the next wave of contenders.
“I’ve watched a couple of guys, there’s a few other ones, but it’s just like, by the time they’ve done their work and they’re fighting for a title, will I still be there by then? I don’t know.”