WASHINGTON, December 9. /TASS/. Russia’s Petr Yan, the new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantemweight Champion, has risen to 6th place in the newly-published UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings, which rate UFC fighters irrespective of weight category.

Last weekend, Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili from Georgia for the bantamweight title by unanimous decision.

The UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings are topped by Russia’s Islam Makhachev, the UFC Reigning Welterweight Champion. Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria from Spain and Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev from the United Arab Emirates round out the top three of the UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings in the 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Yan, 32, nicknamed "No Mercy," boasts a professional career record of 20 wins (seven by KO/TKO, one by submission, 12 by decision) and five defeats. He won the champion’s title in the bantamweight division for the first time in July 2020. In March 2021, he was disqualified while defending his title against Aljamain Sterling of the United States.

The Russian fighter was disqualified after he kneed Sterling in the head while his opponent was on the ground in the fourth round of the fight. The Russian lost his UFC champion’s title in the bantamweight category. In April 2022, Yan lost to Sterling in a rematch by split decision.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotional event, featuring the world’s top-ranked fighters. Numerous Russian fighters fight in the UFC.