Petr Yan has been promised a shot at the UFC bantamweight title. Tiger Muay Thai made the announcement with a video of the Russian training in Phuket.
The Facebook video shows Yan training at home on his own in Thailand:
https://www.facebook.com/87650205356/posts/10163705007270357/?vh=e&d=n
All gyms in Thailand are currently closed. However the country is gradually easing restrictions and Tiger Muay Thai could be allowed to open its doors again as early as next week.
At UFC 249 Henry Cejudo successfully defended the bantamweight title. The two division champion stopped Dominick Cruz late in the second round.
But following the fight Cejudo announced that he was retiring from MMA. If the belt is vacant then #2 ranked Marlon Moraes and #3 ranked Aljamain Sterling could both be contenders.
According to Tiger Muay Thai the date and location of Yan’s title fight as well as the opponent’s identity will be announced soon. The only event currently on the calendar is UFC 250 which will take place at an as yet undisclosed location on June 6th.
The UFC was able to put on three fight cards in Jacksonville recently. But the only passenger flights leaving Thailand at present are for repatriation purposes so Yan won’t be able to fly anywhere except Russia until restrictions are eased.
That flight ban is in place until June 30th. There are also restrictions in place in both the U.S. and Russia so there are several hurdles for Yan to overcome if he wants to fight on a UFC card.
But with six wins out of six in the octagon and a 14-1 record Yan is clearly a top contender in the 135lbs division. The #4 ranked bantamweight has already been offered a title shot according to his camp, now it is just a question of whether he will be available on the date in question.
