"He's not that big a guy" - John McCarthy not keen on seeing Petr Yan at featherweight 

John McCarthy believes Petr Yan would have some tough fights if he were to move up to the featherweight division.

In a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, former UFC referee John McCarthy opined that Petr Yan's physique might prove to be a disadvantage for him in the featherweight division. 'Big John' believed that current UFC featherweights like Yair Rodriguez and Max Holloway had a size advantage over Yan which could cause problems for the Russian.

However, John McCarthy was keen to see Petr Yan have a go at one featherweight, Alexander Volkanovski:

"I would love to see him [Yan] go to 45 but I do not, he is not that big a guy. And so when I look at him going up in weight, I go uh.. you know there's guys out there you know it's like I think the Volkanovski fight would be just a barn burner. It would be just so fun to watch. But then I watch a guy like Holloway with the length that he has. Holloway is so much longer than Yan. I think it would cause a problem for him. Same with Yair Rodriguez, I think it would cause problems for him. There's guys out there just based upon the physical size that would give him problems. So, I would love to see him face Volkanovski and then go back to the bantamweight."

Watch the full episode of the Weighing In podcast below:

Alexander Volkanovski is the current UFC featherweight champion. Petr Yan is a former UFC bantamweight champion and currently holds the interim division strap. He is next scheduled to fight bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling for the title.

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Aljamain Sterling reveals ideal date for title bout against Petr Yan

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, 'The Funk Master' stated that March 2022 would be the ideal time for his fight against interim champion Petr Yan.

The pair met at UFC 259 with the bantamweight title on the line. Petr Yan lost the title after an illegal knee on a downed Aljamain Sterling. The Russian was disqualified for his actions, despite dominating the fight.

Sterling brought up when the pair could run it back:

"We’re going to run it back, so that’s all that matters. I’m hoping it’s going to be on that March card. We’ll see what happens. I know Sean [Shelby] said February, March, April. April’s just so far. March would be ideal. I’m already gearing up."

Watch Aljamain Sterling speak about a potential date below:

Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan were scheduled for a rematch at UFC 267. However, 'The Funk Master' had to withdraw due to a lingering neck injury. As a result, 'No Mercy' went on to fight for the interim bantamweight against Cory Sandhagen.