UFC fans received some encouraging news on Saturday after UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan posted a video of himself shadowboxing.
The Return of Petr Yan:
Yan claimed the 135-pound belt after defeating Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last December. Following his title win, Yan underwent a major nine-hour back surgery to repair damaged lumbar discs. Until Saturday, fans had not seen any footage or updates regarding Yan’s recovery or potential return to action.
In mid-June, Yan’s teammate, PFL’s Karim Henniene, told LowKickMMA that Yan was two months away from returning to training. It has now been just under two months since that interview took place.
At the time of Henniene’s update, it appeared unlikely that fans would see Petr Yan compete in 2026. Whether he fights this year remains to be determined, but the fact that he is back to training is an incredibly encouraging sign.
When “No Mercy” does return to the cage, he will likely be entering a trilogy matchup with Merab in his first title defense. Dvalishvili defeated Yan by dominant unanimous decision when the two first fought in March 2023. However, Petr exacted his revenge last year, defeating Merab in their rematch and ending Dvalishvili’s title reign, which included three successful defenses.
The rematch between the two earned Fight of the Year nominations, and a trilogy bout should have UFC fans incredibly excited.
There have been various rumors throughout the year that the UFC could consider booking an interim title fight at 135 pounds while Yan remains sidelined. With Petr unable to compete, Merab Dvalishvili has also remained inactive this year while waiting for his eventual title opportunity.
The Bantamweight Title Picture:
If Merab were not to receive the next title shot, which seems unlikely, Sean O’Malley would seemingly be next in line. O’Malley has a win over Petr Yan from a somewhat controversial decision when the two first fought in October 2022.
After losing his belt to Merab in 2024, O’Malley has enjoyed a strong 2026 campaign, earning a decision victory over Song Yadong before knocking out Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250 in June.
Umar Nurmagomedov is also firmly in the title picture near the top of the bantamweight division. Umar lost a razor-close decision to Merab in their championship bout in January 2025, suffering the first loss of his professional career. Since then, Nurmagomedov has picked up victories over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo.
He is currently booked to headline UFC Shanghai on August 29 against Song Yadong.
Petr Yan’s Journey to Gold:
Yan’s journey back to championship gold was a strenuous and inspiring one. After starting his UFC tenure 6-0, Petr received his first opportunity at UFC gold in July 2020, when he decimated Jose Aldo to claim the bantamweight championship.
However, Yan suffered a controversial loss in his first title defense after being disqualified for illegally kneeing Aljamain Sterling.
Petr Yan went on to win the interim championship against Cory Sandhagen in 2021, but he failed to unify the belts in his rematch with Sterling. After that loss to Sterling, Yan suffered those aforementioned losses to O’Malley and Dvalishvili, and many counted him out of ever becoming champion again after dropping three straight fights.
However, he embarked on another title run, defeating Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee before delivering his title-winning performance against Merab last December.
It remains unclear exactly when Yan will return. After all, this is the first footage fans have seen of Yan anywhere in the combat sports world since he underwent back surgery.
It is also important to note that the footage only shows Yan shadowboxing, and it is currently unknown whether he has been cleared to resume sparring.
What is clear is that this is a very exciting and encouraging sign for the bantamweight division. After months of uncertainty surrounding his recovery, fans finally have something tangible to get excited about regarding the return of Petr Yan.