“I couldn’t lift a water bottle with my right hand.” Petr Yan on injuries, Dagestan and Nurmagomedov comments

From June 2018 to July 2020 Pierre Yan won seven fights in the UFC and became the organization’s champion. From March 2021 to March 2023, he won one fight in five and finished in fourth place in the rankings in his division. But here it is important to clarify that a defeat was a disqualification for an illegal move. Two more in fights with a current or future champion and very controversial judging decisions. Ultimately, Yan lost his last fight to injury, which he is speaking about for the first time. Additionally, we discuss:

— I would like to start with a simple question: how are you feeling?

– Everything is fine, the atmosphere is good.

— You will soon have to display 61.2 kg on the scale. Some fighters add at these moments: “Only, I am very hungry. ” And how are you?

— Weight loss is part of our job, so we have to accept it. If you go further, it becomes more difficult. Everything is fine.

— Marat Balaev, with whom you communicate well, said that it is necessary to be able to install shock absorbers. When you want something or feel like something is missing, put a barrier on yourself and don’t think about it. Did Marat share this method with you?

– Anyone who has been on a diet knows: if you feel like eating or drinking, try not to think about it so that these thoughts don’t progress.

— It’s been exactly a year since you last fought and, as they say, you’ve been recovering from your injuries for some time. When did you first train after the fight with Dvalishvili?

— This has already happened in Thailand and is in preparation. And so I didn’t wear gloves at all for six and a half or seven months.

— Did you feel like you were a little rusty?

– Yes, it is there. You forget something, a reaction, attention and other things, but everything comes back with consistent training.

— Who was the person you had your first sparring with?

“And I don’t even remember who exactly was in the first fight.”

— Did I understand correctly that, like the previous times, you took certain sparring partners and worked with them?

— Yes, we had a few people that I worked with, we trained with this group.

— Khabib Nurmagomedov had a popular quote: “An athlete cannot have two peaks. » What do you think and do you think there could be two peaks? Or was the fight with José Aldo, when you took the belt, not your peak as an athlete?

– I think my fight with Aldo and with other opponents before was not the best, now I feel much better.

—And now you are nearing your peak as an athlete?

“I can say that now I feel good about myself, including mentally.

— You had several preparations, when you said, and it was said about you, that you were in ideal shape. And then it turned out that you fought against the backdrop of an injury. What those who support you should know right now: Are you performing at your best?

— I can’t say that I’m at my best or at my worst. The fight will show everything.

— Judging by social media, your coach Kairat Nurmaganbetov is already setting a record for the number of American visa refusals.

— Kairat is already at 0:5. Now he flew twice during training and nothing happened. I tried to get it in Jakarta and Serbia. 100%, if he had a visa, he would be there. I really like his approach, his balanced actions, his vision of the situation, his vision of the battlefield, his ability to give a clear answer at the right time in the right situation. The good news is that Ilyas Khamzin received a visa yesterday.

— That is, he will fly and be in the corner (Khamzin is an active MMA fighter, spoke with Yan before turning professional and was a corner in the title fight with José Aldo. — “”)?

— He submitted documents to Kazakhstan and is now waiting for his passport. As soon as he gets his passport back, he will try to take the plane. Perhaps there will still be time, but it is not known how long it will take for the passport to be returned there – a day, two, three.

— What is your distribution of seconds at the moment?

– Lyokha, my friend Nikita Mikhailov (a fighter from Fedor Emelianenko’s team. – ), Artyom Levin also came with us and helps us.

— Is there someone on your team who can point out mistakes to you and whom you will listen to?

— I have a healthy attitude towards criticism, in principle, if it is appropriate, why not? There is always something to learn, there are always mistakes.

— In which of your last three fights have you been most unhappy with yourself?

— As for the fight with Merab, my right hand didn’t work. In five rounds, I hit her 3-4 times, then intuitively threw her away. I couldn’t hold a half-liter bottle of water; my front lip (at the shoulder joint) was partially torn. With O’Malley everything seemed fine, just a few things to correct, and with Sterling too, in principle.

— Who do you now consider to be the best fighter in the world in your weight category, in the 61.2 kg category?

— The best fighter in the world… It is difficult to answer this question, because there are many worthy and strong fighters in various organizations. I can not answer.

— You dropped Corey Sandhagen with a backfist and Urijah Faber with a high kick in the clinch. Taking this into account, what do you think remains of the master of sports in boxing in your technique?

“I seem to have become a more versatile mixed-style fighter. I haven’t been specifically involved in boxing for a very long time, I haven’t competed and all those skills are certainly eroded. And you also have a completely different distance for mixed martial arts, where people are kicking, plus wrestling, clinches, all kinds of tricky moments, they weigh you down and build you back up.

— At the same time, you have a high block signature, which many people pay attention to. Does it come from boxing?

– Yes, probably, this protection, the arms are in place, near the head, this is of course a boxing school, a boxing base.

— I don’t think so myself, but in the comments under your videos they constantly write about training camps and training in Dagestan. Let’s answer, out of respect for these people, why aren’t you here?

— In general, I participated in training camps in Dagestan twice in my life. The first time I was 13 days old, the second time 14 days old. Well, if you look at it, what did I learn in 13 and 14 days? Of course not. Dagestan is a great place if you want to improve your level of wrestling, as there are many sparring partners in this discipline. I also participated in training camps in Ossetia, Brazil and Thailand several times. I’ve trained a lot with various wrestling guys, so I don’t see such a key on the Dagestan trip like many people try to imagine.

— Early in your career, you did training camps in Poland, Brazil, the Caucasus and perhaps elsewhere. Can you highlight a few that have benefited you the most?

— But we cannot draw conclusions, it is the totality of each training camp, each camp that bears fruit, and it is only with time that we analyze and understand what we have really acquired and what remains to be tested in combat practice. After combat work, you already understand whether it worked or not in a real emergency situation.

— Georgy Emelyanov told me that in Brazil, in 2012, you were one of the few who went to buy a gi to be able to work fully in jiu-jitsu. Do you still have it?

— Well, I didn’t keep this kimono. But I remember we were trained there full time in gi for 45 days. Great experience, I loved it, I even got a blue belt.

— Georgy has photos on VK – you are really nervous there.

– That’s because at that time I didn’t yet have a camera phone. And George had it.

— Last week Umar Nurmagomedov fought, he made a rather harsh remark that he might end the fight with you sooner than expected. Does this concern you, have you even heard these words?

– Yes, I heard, but it doesn’t bother me. Umar is now doing what he has to do. He needs to talk. That’s what he says. Do you know how old Umar is now?

– 26 or 27.

“I don’t know for sure either, but at that time I was already champion, and Umar hadn’t managed to do it yet, so it certainly hurts him.

— We can say that you understand it in a way, because when you started, could you also say harsh things about the peaks of your weight?

– Of course, I understand his motivation, his desire to win the title. These are normal, common sense thoughts.

— In many old photographs you are with the Russian flag. Have you taken it now?

– Yes, I took the flag with me. The flag is always with me, and if I’m not forbidden to go out with the flag, then, of course, I will go out with it. You know, the moment is like this, I love my country. I was born there, I live there, all my relatives live there, so it’s an honor for me. If the flag is allowed, of course I will be with the flag.

— What is your general mood right now before the fights? Previously, it was clear that you were very charged, like a small tank that moves towards your opponents and fires. Can we say that you now approach the tournament with a slightly different fighting mentality?

– No why? I am also determined to win. These are the days when you are not particularly busy. But my desire is to continue playing, not just to participate or win money. I really understand that my inner ambitions, my abilities allow me to compete with the guys above me.

— Can you say something obscene to each other when you go to fight?

– Yes, I can actually say a lot of things with obscenities. I don’t see anything wrong with that, as long as it doesn’t bother anyone or contradict anyone.

– And for you ?

“And we can tell each other whatever we want.”

Live broadcasts of mixed martial arts tournaments can be seen on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.