Urijah Faber, December 2019
Bantamweight wrecking machine Petr Yan scored the biggest win of his career, as he knocked out UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber in the third round of the main card opener.
Faber scored first with a knee up the middle, drawing a roar from the crowd, by Yan was unmoved as he kept marching forward, and as the round progressed, he was able to get his shots in, albeit at a measured pace that allowed Faber to be the busier of the two.
Midway through the second, Yan struck, bloodying and hurting Faber with a right-left, and as “The California Kid” went to the mat, it looked like the end was near. Faber shook off the blows and got back to his feet, but Yan sent him back down with an elbow with less than two minutes left, leaving Faber with a nasty cut and swelling around his left eye. Again, Faber weathered the storm and was allowed to continue after a check from the Octagonside physician, but it was Yan in complete control now, and early in round three, “No Mercy” ended the bout with a kick to the head that dropped Faber and brought in referee Keith Peterson to halt matters 43 seconds into the final round.
Jose Aldo, June 2020
Featherweight icon Jose Aldo showed why he is a future UFC Hall of Famer in his bantamweight title fight against Petr Yan, but the relentless force from Russia would not be denied, as he progressively broke down the Brazilian and halted Aldo in the fifth round to take the 135-pound title vacated by Henry Cejudo earlier this year.
A thudding right hand by Yan was the first big shot of the fight and it got Aldo’s attention, but the Rio native put his foe on the mat with a kick to the leg seconds later, making it clear that the two were settling in for a war. As the round progressed, Aldo got busier, but when Yan fired, he made it count. In the final minute, an Aldo takedown attempt went awry and saw him on his back, and Yan hurt him with a body shot just before the horn.
Aldo began focusing on Yan’s legs in the second, landing several hard kicks downstairs, and when Yan started paying too much attention to them, Aldo moved his attacks to the body and head, effectively switching things up.
The kinetic chess match was at its best in round three, both fighters taking turns in control and making their opponent pay for any mistake. Getting more aggressive, Yan scored with several shots upstairs, while Aldo’s body work was his weapon of choice as the bout wrapped up its 15th minute.
Yan started to surge ahead in the fourth round, his work rate staying consistent while Aldo’s dipped, and as Yan finished up the frame with a takedown and a series of ground strikes, it was “No Mercy” in control heading into the final five minutes.
A right-left by Yan hurt Aldo as the fifth round began, and the Russian went all-in for the finish as he locked the Brazilian up on the mat and fired off strikes. The bloodied Aldo hung tough as long as he could, but finally, referee Leon Roberts had seen enough, stepping in at the 3:24 mark of round five.