Is Petr Yan the UFC Bantamweight GOAT? Dana White Thinks So

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UFC Dana White Petr Yan
UFC Dana White Petr Yan Getty

Is UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan the best to ever do it at 135 lbs? UFC president Dana White seems to think he is.

Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili in the pair’s trilogy bout in the main event of UFC 333 in what was one of the best fights of the year, with the pair winning $100,000 each for the Fight of the Night bonus.

This is Yan’s second bantamweight title reign, and now, at age 32, he seems to be even better than ever.

So, is he the best? White believes he is.

Dana White Says Petr Yan Is the Best Bantamweight Ever

Speaking to reporters post-UFC 333, White was asked if Yan is now the best bantamweight ever following his latest impressive victory inside the Octagon, and the UFC bossman said that he can’t disagree with that notion.

“Yeah, it’d be tough to say no,” White said.

Petr Yan UFC Resume

Yan first entered the UFC in 2018 after having racked up an 8-1 record fighting in Russia.

He immediately turned heads inside the Octagon, winning his first seven UFC fights, including a knockout win over Urijah Faber at UFC 245 in December 2019 and a TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 251 in July 2020 that saw him capture the vacant bantamweight title.

Yan lost his belt in his first title defense when he was DQed against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 in March 2021. He bounced back against Cory Sandhagen in his next bout to claim the interim bantamweight title, but lost three straight fights after that, and it looked like he could be done as a top contender at that point.

But Yan once again went on a long win streak, beating Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee to earn a rematch with Dvalishvili, whom he beat at UFC 323 in December 2025 to claim the UFC bantamweight belt once again. Then, he successfully defended it against Dvalishvili in the pair’s epic trilogy bout at UFC 333.

Overall, it’s hard to argue against Yan’s resume, and although Dominick Cruz has a real argument for the title of bantamweight GOAT, it does feel like Yan has surpassed him at this point.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

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