According to the Chinese fighter, after the duel that challenged Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera, he did not mention the Russian only because he forgot to give his name.
“I want to fight the top 5 guys, but most likely they won’t give me Sean O’Malley because the UFC protects him,” Song said at a press conference after UFC Fight Night 223. “I want to return in July or August, and yes, I could fight Petr Yan. I want to fight him and I didn’t name him because I forgot to.”
After finishing Ricky Simon with a TKO in the fifth round, the Chinese returned his career to a successful track after losing to Corey Sandhagen, and Petr Yan suffered his third defeat in a row in March, losing a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili in five rounds.
The day before, the Russian, ranked fourth in the UFC bantamweight division, walked away from a direct answer to the question of when he plans to fight next, making it clear that he intends to work hard on his skills before returning to the octagon.