Petr Yan Sidelined For 4-6 Weeks After Elbow Surgery

UFC bantamweight contender Petr Yan will finally get a bit of a break after undergoing surgery for his elbow in Munich, Germany.

Yan has fought five times since making his UFC debut in June last year and has been successful in all his outings so far. Most recently, he outpointed Jimmie Rivera at UFC 238 earlier this month to cement his place as one of the division’s top contenders.

The win was all the more impressive considering he was compromised due to a case of synovitis (inflammation of the synovial membrane) in his left elbow. The 25-year-old finally had surgery this week to correct it. His manager Daniel Rubenstein told MMA Junkie he is now expected to be out for four to six weeks.

Yan was optimistic in an Instagram post following the surgery:

“Hello everyone, everything is fine with me ?? ? the operation went according to the doctor’s plan ? in 1.5-2 months I will be in the ranks !!! ? This injury really prevented me from getting ready for the last battle and beating and fighting Now we will plow even harder! All patience and believe in yourself, everything will work out! Thanks to my team @archangl_michael and @ufc for their help in the operation.“

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzIkC1nnrFX/?utm_source=ig_embed

With current bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo sidelined for the rest of the year due to shoulder surgery, this shouldn’t affect Yan much when it comes to the title picture. In fact, he could still return and have an interim bantamweight title fight with Aljamain Sterling.

If that is the case, Yan does not foresee any problems in a potential matchup with Sterling:

“I don’t see it as a problem I can’t solve,” Yan said. “I will come out to beat him and punish him. He never faced anyone like me. His strikes are just scoring points and not hurting anyone, my strikes are meant to hurt you and when I will connect his butt will kiss the octagon floor.”