Sarvärjon Hamidov returned from a year-long layoff to defeat Justin Wetzel at PFL San Diego and has since spoken in depth about his training camp alongside Petr Yan and Makhachev Evloev. The bantamweight contender also addressed a potential rematch with Magomed Magomedov and shared other details about his career in a new interview.
Sarvärjon Hamidov broke a year-long layoff with a victory over Justin Wetzel at PFL San Diego and has since sat down for a wide-ranging interview covering his training environment, notable sparring partners, and the prospect of a rematch with Magomed Magomedov.
Hamidov's win over Wetzel marked his return to the PFL bantamweight division after twelve months away from competition. In the interview, he spoke at length about sharing a training camp with two prominent Russian fighters: Petr Yan and Movsar Evloev.
Yan, the reigning bantamweight champion competing out of the Archangel Michael Club, carries a 20-5 record at 33 years old. The switch-stance striker is one of the busiest and most accurate fighters in the division, landing 5.12 significant strikes per minute at a 54 percent accuracy rate. Having that caliber of sparring partner available speaks to the level of Hamidov's preparation.
Evloev, 32, trains out of American Top Team and enters the featherweight rankings at number one with a perfect 20-0 record. The Russian orthodox fighter averages 4.78 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 3.91 significant strikes landed per minute, making him one of the more complete mixed martial artists in his weight class.
Hamidov also addressed a potential rematch with Magomed Magomedov, known as "TIGER." The 33-year-old Russian holds a 21-5 record and has drawn attention for his striking accuracy, connecting on 63.4 percent of his significant strikes attempted.
Why it matters
- Hamidov's association with a champion-level training partner in Yan signals a serious step up in his camp quality
- A rematch with Magomedov would carry clear divisional stakes given both fighters' records in the bantamweight landscape
- Evloev's involvement as a training partner adds a high-level grappling and striking dimension to Hamidov's preparation
