Petr “No Mercy” Yan won Saturday’s action-packed bout against Brazil’s Deiveson “Deus da Guerra” (“God of War”) Figueiredo by unanimous decision, marking the Russian professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter’s 18th win.
Saturday’s “UFC Fight Night Macau” was headlined by Yan and Figueiredo and marked the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) return to Macau since 2014, being the fourth event held in the city and seventh in the whole of China. It was presented by integrated resort operator Galaxy Macau in partnership with the UFC.
The first round of the match mostly stayed on the floor of the Octagon until right near the end when both fighters were again on their feet, quickly picking up from there. Emotions were high as the main event of the night went on, having many close calls as Yan, who is ranked No.3 in the UFC bantamweight division, and Figueiredo, the division’s No.5, traded blows and fought hard for the win, which fans at the packed 16,000 seat Galaxy Arena could not get enough of.
By the end of the five-round bout, Yan took home the win by unanimous decision, with the scores being 50-45, 50-45, 50-45, according to the UFC website, which added that this was Yan’s second win of the year.
The co-main event, meanwhile, saw the number 2 in the women’s strawweight division Yan Xiaonan from the mainland win against number 10 Tabatha Ricci, aka “Baby Shark” from Brazil, bringing her total wins to 19. Yan, who remained the dominant fighter, also won the evening’s three-round match by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
The main and co-main events were not the only things that kept the excitement up as there were a number of fights leading up to the main event such as a bout between the mainland’s Song Kenan against Muslim Salikhov from Russia, which Salikhov ended with a knockout, and the mainland’s Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes from Brazil, who emerged victorious by technical submission. Fight fans cheered on for their favourite fighters across each intense match.
Petr Yan of Russia (left) and Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil battle it out during UFC Fight Night Macau on Saturday at the Galaxy Arena in Cotai. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
