Petr Yan is open to moving up to the UFC featherweight division, but there’s one major obstacle: his friendship with Alexander Volkanovski. 👀 The former UFC bantamweight champion admitted that competing at 145 pounds sounds interesting in the future. However, Yan made it clear that he has no desire to fight Volk, who currently holds the featherweight title. 🗣️ Petr Yan: “But, personally, for myself, moving up, it sounds interesting too. Somewhere in the future, yeah. 145 champ is my friend Alex Volkanovski, so I don’t want to beat him up.” For now, Yan’s focus is on his upcoming trilogy with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333. According to the Kalshi odds cited in the original post, Yan has a 60% chance of remaining champion through the end of the year. 👀 If Yan eventually moves up to featherweight, how would he match up against the UFC’s top 145-pound contenders? #PetrYan #AlexanderVolkanovski #MerabDvalishvili #UFC #UFC333
Petr Yan says a move up to featherweight appeals to him in the future, but the UFC bantamweight champion made clear he has no interest in fighting the man who holds the belt there: his friend Alexander Volkanovski.
Yan described competing at 145 pounds as an interesting prospect "somewhere in the future." The obstacle, he said, is personal. Volkanovski is the featherweight champion, and Yan does not want to "beat him up."
For now, Yan's attention is on his upcoming trilogy bout with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333. The original post cited Kalshi odds that give Yan a 60 percent chance of still being champion at the end of the year.
Yan, 33, is 20-5-0 and fights out of the Archangel Michael Club for Russia. He is a switch-stance striker who lands 5.12 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy, and averages 1.58 takedowns per 15 minutes. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision win over Dvalishvili at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025, a five-round title bout. That followed decision wins over Marcus McGhee in July 2025 and Deiveson Figueiredo in November 2024.
Volkanovski, 38, is 28-4-0 and ranked third in the pound-for-pound list. The Australian lands 5.99 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy and averages 1.63 takedowns per 15 minutes. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes at UFC 325 on January 31, 2026, his second straight title-fight victory over Lopes.
Why it matters
- Size: Yan stands five-foot-seven with a 67-inch reach, while Volkanovski is five-foot-six with a 71-inch reach, so Yan would give up four inches of reach at the champion's weight.
- Output: The two are close statistically, with Volkanovski ahead by 0.87 significant strikes per minute and three points of accuracy, and the takedown rates nearly identical.
- Timing: Yan's comments are about the long term. The Dvalishvili trilogy comes first, and Yan's friendship with Volkanovski means a featherweight move would likely have to target other contenders.
