Petr Yan Says He Will Not Fight Friend Alexander Volkanovski at Featherweight
The two-time bantamweight champion says featherweight interests him but he will wait until Volkanovski retires to move up.
Petr Yan has no interest in fighting Alexander Volkanovski if he moves to featherweight. The two-time UFC bantamweight champion told Full Violence that while a move to 145 pounds "sounds interesting," he considers the featherweight champion a friend and would rather wait.
"145 champ is my friend Alex Volkanovski, so I do not wanna beat him up," Yan said. When asked about other champions potentially moving up to challenge him at bantamweight, he deflected. "That is maybe a question for them."
Yan also ruled out a move down to flyweight, showing no interest in challenging champion Joshua Van at 125 pounds. That leaves bantamweight as his home for the foreseeable future.
The 33-year-old Russian regained the 135-pound title at UFC 323 by defeating Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch. He was sidelined for much of 2026 following lower back surgery earlier in the year, which prevented him from defending the belt for several months.
Yan will make the first defense of his second reign against Dvalishvili in their trilogy bout at UFC 333. That fight will share a card with Volkanovski defending his featherweight title against undefeated Movsar Evloev.
Volkanovski has previously hinted that he could retire if he takes significant damage in that fight, per LowKick MMA. If that happens, the door to 145 opens for Yan without the awkwardness of fighting a close friend.
This is one of those rare moments where a fighter being honest about friendships actually tells you something about the division. Yan is not ducking anyone. He just beat Merab twice and is about to fight him a third time. But he is smart enough to know that the featherweight picture could change overnight if Volkanovski loses to Evloev or decides to hang it up.
If Volk retires after UFC 333, Yan becomes the most dangerous free agent at 145. He is big enough for the division, his boxing translates everywhere, and he would not have to cut as much weight. That is a scary proposition for whoever holds the belt. For now, the trilogy with Merab comes first, and that alone is must-watch.
