Yan beats Figueiredo on return of UFC to Macau

Russian fighter Petr Yan emerged victorious in the main event of UFC’s return to Macau after more than a decade. In the headline bantamweight bout, Yan defeated Brazilian fighter Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision after five rounds at the Galaxy Arena.

A former bantamweight champion, Yan extended his impressive form following a win over Song Yadong by unanimous decision in March, which broke a three-fight losing streak. This latest victory puts him in contention for the bantamweight title, currently held by Georgian Merab Dvalishvili.

In other bouts, Yan Xiaonan dominated Tabatha Ricci in a women’s strawweight fight, also winning by unanimous decision after three closely contested rounds (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). With the win, Yan Xiaonan is now in a strong position to challenge current champion Zhang Weili.

In the welterweight division, Muslim Salikhov defeated Chinese fighter Song Kenan by knockout (KO) with a spinning wheel kick in the first round, less than three minutes into the fight. Meanwhile, in the women’s flyweight division, Gabriella Fernandes triumphed over Wang Cong with a technical submission (rear-naked choke) before the second round ended.

Other main card winners included light heavyweight Carlos Ulberg, who defeated Volkan Oezdemir by unanimous decision, and Zhang Mingyang, who won by technical knockout after landing an elbow strike and a flurry of punches halfway through the first round.

UFC’s debut in Macau took place in November 2012 at Cotai Arena, with two additional events held in 2014, one in March and the other in August, before this recent return after a 10-year hiatus.

According to MMAJUNKIE, the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled USD160,000 (MOP1.28 million). Fighters Salikhov, Fernandes, Zhang, and Shi Ming (from the preliminary card) earned an additional USD50,000 (MOP400,750) in performance of the night bonuses. The event drew a crowd of 12,615 spectators, though live gate details were not disclosed.