2 former UFC champions agree to major title elimination fight in China

Petr Yan's wish came true. He called on Deiveson Figueiredo to make his comeback and the Brazilian answered his call.

Yan, a former UFC bantamweight champion, will face Figueiredo, the former UFC flyweight champion, in a decisive bout on November 23 at the Galaxy Arena in Macau.

Figueiredo has performed exceptionally well since moving up from flyweight to bantamweight. The 36-year-old has picked up wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera since moving up to 135.

He is best known for his four fights with Brandon Moreno that helped save the flyweight division after Demetrious Johnson became a ONE Championship fighter and Henry Cejudo moved up to bantamweight.

Deiveson Figueiredo's last five fights

• Win against Marlon Vera by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night on August 3, 2024
• Win against Cody Garbrandt by submission at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024
• Win against Rob Font by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night on December 2, 2023
• Loss against Brandon Moreno by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at UFC 283 on January 21, 2023
• Win against Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision at UFC 270 on January 22, 2022

Figueiredo's run in the 135-pound class has propelled him to the No. 5 ranking in the division. He could be just one win away from challenging for the world title in his second weight class.

It won't be easy to win.

Yan, 31, hasn't fought since March, when he defeated Song Yadong by unanimous decision. Before that win, Yan endured the most brutal period of his professional MMA career.

He had lost three straight bouts in the bantamweight division, with two controversial split decisions against Sean O'Malley and Aljamain Sterling not going in his favor. Yan won the bantamweight title vacated by Cejudo when he temporarily retired from the sport.

Yan lost it in controversial fashion when he was disqualified for an illegal knee strike against Aljamain Sterling in March 2021.

Petr Yan's last five fights

• Win against Song Yadong by unanimous decision at UFC 299 on March 9, 2024
• Loss to Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night on March 11, 2023
• Loss against Sean O'Malley by split decision at UFC 280 on October 22, 2022
• Loss against Aljamain Sterling by split decision at UFC 273 on April 9, 2022
• Win against Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision at UFC 267 on October 30, 2021

Yan is currently ranked No. 3 in the world. If Yan wins, he could next face the winner of Dvalishvili's fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, or he could get a rematch with O'Malley once he recovers from his torn labrum.

The Macau card looks strong. In addition to UFC China's tournament fights, the card will also feature an exciting women's strawweight bout between Xiaonan Yan and Tabatha Ricci, a light heavyweight bout between Volkan Oezdemir and Carlos Ullberg, and the return of Chinese knockout fighter Cong Wang, who will face Gabriella Fernandes.

This card might be a hidden gem. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.