“Peter passed the test of spiritual qualities”: how the world reacted to Yan winning the UFC lightweight title

In the world of mixed martial arts, they admired the confident victory of Peter Jan over Jose Aldo in the fight for the UFC title in the lightest weight category. Many noted the importance of this success for Russia, which now boasts immediately two current promotion champions - Yan and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“Congratulations to Peter Ian with the champion title and victory! We already have two reigning champions and three Russian-speaking triumphs. What a joy and honor for Russia, our athletes and fans, ”- quotes the head of UFC Russia Andrei Gromkovsky TASS.

The first domestic UFC fighter Oleg Taktarov, like many other experts, he noted the athlete’s difficult path to the current title.

“We now have a new hero - a Siberian boy with roots from several nationalities. Such a multicultural guy. This is a man who made his way through thorns to the stars, now he is a legend, he receives well-deserved laurels. I thought that the knockout will be earlier, but everything is logical, ”Taktarov commented on the victory.

Immediately after the fight, there was talk of defending the title, which could take place in October. Former Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko suggested that Ian would be able to repeat his success.

“Petya passed the test of spiritual qualities. I’m not afraid to make such a statement that he went to the championship for a long time. For him, it was a difficult battle, whether he wore out an opponent or not. For now, you just need to enjoy his belt. The knockout looks logical, ”said Shlemenko.

View this Instagram post

Publication by Alexander Shlemenko Storm (@alexandershlemenko) Jul 11, 2020 at 9:15 PDT

The Russian MMA fighter Sergey Kharitonov is sure that the Russian will be able to protect the belt. He noted that the rivals of the newly minted triumph are distinguished by determination and the desire to win at any cost.

“I think that if Peter keeps himself in good shape, he can hold the champion belt for a long time. Three to four years, and maybe longer. It all depends on his physical condition. You know, it can be like this in sports - today you are in great shape, and tomorrow you are already gone. There are injuries. While Jan is doing without them, and if this continues, he can keep the belt for a long time, ”RIA Novosti quoted Kharitonov as saying.

In turn, ex-Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov emphasized that Ian earned the champion fight by “moving the entire division”.

“A very confident victory and we can say that this is the beginning of the great journey of Peter. He is a very tough and technical fighter, with good striking technique. And the UFC belt is not the last for him. I believe that this weight will remain with him for a long time, because I do not see any pronounced weaknesses in him, ”Minakov is sure.

Not only Russian, but also foreign colleagues congratulated Jan on the triumph.

“Congratulations to Peter Ian on winning the UFC title. Great job, ”wrote Daniel Cormier, former UFC light heavyweight champion.

Apart from the historical event, they did not remain in the hockey “Vanguard”. The fact is that the Russian for a long time lived and trained in Omsk under the guidance of the famous coach Yuri Demchenko.

Congratulations to @petryanufc on winning the UFC bantamweight title 💪🏻 A fighter from the Omsk MMA school won a victory in a fight with Brazilian Jose Aldo - and became the second UFC champion from Russia! 😎 pic.twitter.com/dC9ja2T1ZH

The meeting was not without controversial issues. The referee stopped the bout 1 minute 36 seconds before the end of the fifth round, but some noted that it was worth doing earlier. Thus, the head of UFC Dana White made sharp criticism, calling the refereeing disgusting.

At the same time, Shlemenko agreed with the position of Jan himself, who stated that in the title fight, the judge must be completely confident in his decision before interrupting it.

“Peter did not fight with a newcomer, but with a champion who defeated a lot of strong fighters. Aldo tried to do something, to defend himself, so the battle was not stopped. Now there are a lot of early stops. Championship fights must not be stopped early. If Jose was knocked down, there was a blow to the head, then, of course. Do not forget, this is light weight. There is no such thing that every hit is super-dangerous. I think everything was fine, ”Shlemenko told the Championship.

The similar opinion is shared by the president of the MMA Union of Russia Radmir Gabdullin. He noted that the stop could follow a minute earlier, when Aldo went on the defensive, but it was not worth it too early.

“This is a champion fight, and if the referee stopped right away, then questions could arise for him. Ian pressed on the ground, punched blows to the head and the body. Here it was clear that Jose was still trying to control the situation, he did not go into oblivion. The referee must be 100% sure of his actions, it was impossible to make mistakes, ”Gabdullina quotes TASS.

After the end of the battle, several fighters expressed their readiness to take the belt from Jan. So, Cody Garbrandt said that he would need three rounds to win, in which he would break the opponent physically and then mentally, and Henry Sehudo with irony suggested that he would have enough for this and five-minute.

Nevertheless, one of the most likely opponents of Ian is American Aljamein Sterling.

“Great fight guys! Deserved victory of Peter Ian. You are a real fighter, and I can’t wait to meet you in the octagon, buddy! ”Stirling wrote on Twitter.

About possible rivals, Yan reasoned and Russian experts. So, the head of the Fight Night Global promotion Kamil Gadzhiev suggested that Sehudo, who announced his retirement in May, is the best option for him.

“If Sehudo returns, a great story awaits us. Fight Sehudo - Yang, despite the small weight, which is usually not so popular, will blow up the world of MMA. This is a large volume of views and a lot of money for all participants, ”said Hajiyev.

Another interesting development option for Jan’s career is that some consider meeting with former UFC featherweight and lightweight division champion Conor McGregor. According to Taktarov, a Russian is capable of becoming the owner of two titles.

“I believe that if Peter really wants to, if money and fame do not break him, then it will be simple for him. I have no doubt that he will win against McGregor if they have a fight in a year. Now he needs something for PR, so that everyone will talk about it, because it is interesting, ”Taktarov noted.