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Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan showed his respect for another former champion, T.J. Dillashaw. Dillashaw beat Cory Sandhagen in their main event bout at UFC Vegas 32 in one of the closest fights in recent memory.
Yan posted a tweet on Twitter talking about Dillashaw and added that beating the American fighter was always his goal.
"Respect to the warrior TJ Dillashaw. Beating you is always been my goal. This is my division now," Yan said.
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Considering Dillashaw asked for a title shot next, the fight is much more realistic than it might seem. Presently, Yan is set to face bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in a bid to recapture his belt after losing it because of an illegal knee. If Yan defeats Sterling, he'll fight the potential number one contender T.J. Dillashaw next.
However, he needs to be wary of Dillashaw as he looks like he hasn't lost a step during his two-year ban. 'Lieutenant Dan' still had his speed, and his ground game was the reason why he got the win over Sandhagen. Despite a split decision victory at UFC Vegas 32, T.J. Dillashaw looked like he can find a win out of anywhere.
He was struggling with a cut above his right eye, and he fought out of the situation to finally find a win.
Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to see Petr Yan fight T.J. Dillashaw in Russia
Yan's countryman Khabib Nurmagomedov has already made plans for a fight between 'No Mercy' and 'Lieutenant Dan'. The former lightweight champion posted a tweet saying he would like to see them fight in Russia next year.
While this is just wishful thinking at this point from Nurmagomedov, Petr Yan would surely take this fight. He'd love to achieve his goal in front of his home crowd, and Dillashaw is not one to turn down a fight.
If Yan beats Sterling, Petr Yan vs. T.J. Dillashaw will be the fight to make for the title. Fans would love to see Dillashaw try and get his belt back after almost three years.
