"Ready to step in for this one" - Petr Yan pushes for Ilyas Khamzin to step in at UFC 320 after Ozzy Diaz withdrawal

Petr Yan recently reacted to Ozzy Diaz withdrawing from UFC 320 and suggested an alternative fighter instead.

Diaz was forced to pull out of his fight against Ateba Gautier due to an unspecified medical issue just six days away from the upcoming pay-per-view event. In a social media post, Diaz shared the news and wrote:

"Hey everyone, I have some really tough news to share. After careful consideration and talking with my team and medical professionals, I’ve had to make the heartbreaking decision to pull out of my fight this week. This isn’t a choice I ever thought I’d have to make, but my health and safety have to come first. I truly appreciate all your support and understanding during this time, and I promise to come back stronger soon. I would like to apologize to the @ufc and also to my opponent @ateba_theassassin. This decision was a hard one." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

After @mma_kings shared the news via an X post, Yan re-shared the tweet and suggested his friend Ilyas Khamzin as a potential replacement. He wrote:

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"My friend Ilyas Khamzin is in Vegas and ready to step in for this one too."

Petr Yan vows to prepare better for potential Merab Dvalishvili rematch

Earlier this year, Petr Yan shared his thoughts on a potential Merab Dvalishvili rematch and claimed he's aware of how to prepare for the reigning UFC bantamweight champion. Yan faced Dvalishvili in March 2023 and lost via unanimous decision after five rounds of action.

After his unanimous decision win over Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi in July, Yan made it clear that he's angling for a title rematch against Dvalishvili and knew how to adjust his training camp this time. Speaking to the media at the post-fight press conference, he said:

"First of all, I want to stay healthy, and now I understand that how I have to adjust my fight camp and prepare better for Merab [Dvalishvili]. Now, I know what to expect from him."

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