Marcus McGhee is aiming to make the most of a surprise opportunity when he takes on former champion and third-ranked bantamweight Petr Yan in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night at Etihad Arena on Saturday.
The American goes into the contest with a four-win record in the promotion and 10-1 overall record in a stacked 12-fight card headlined by the middleweight contest between Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder.
McGhee, 35, admits he was shocked to get the call to compete against the Russian who has fought 14 times in the UFC – winning his last two fights – with an overall 18-5 record.
A win here will move McGhee to the top three in the category, but he remains realistic, saying he needs another one or two fights to earn a title contest.
“I guess they didn’t find an opponent much higher up the ranks and I got the opportunity, which I’m glad for, and to feature in the co-main fight in the card,” McGhee said at a media event on Wednesday.
“In this game, anything can happen at any given time. This is one of those unforgiving sports, so I'm always just focused and grateful on the task at hand.”
With both McGhee and Yan known for their striking, the American added: “I know we're going to stand and trade, but I definitely think that we're going to hit the ground for sure, too.
“Honestly, I don't hit the ground as much as well, but I have grappling skills as well, and I definitely see us hitting the ground at some point as well. So I definitely think that up and down is going to be there. It's going to be a full mixed martial arts fight.”
Yan is hoping to cement his place for another title fight with victory over the No 12 ranked McGhee. He originally became bantamweight champion at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi in 2020 after demolishing Jose Aldo.
“I don't think there's anybody who is ranked higher or somebody who deserves this more than I do,” he said of a potential rematch against title holder Georgian Merab Dvalishvili, against whom he lost via unanimous decision in 2023.
“With the confidence and a win on the night, I'll make sure to cement my place as the next contender. At this moment I have my own goals, my own ambitions to fight for the title.”
The main card also includes a middleweight clash between Shara Magomedov and Marc-Andre Barriault, Asu Almabayev's flyweight clash with Jose Ochoa and Nikita Krylov and Bogdan Guskov's lightweight bout.
