Petr Yan: "I am proud to represent Russia and enter the octagon with the national flag"
Every appearance in the octagon is not just a sporting contest, but a symbol of national pride. This was shared at the National Centre RUSSIA by the UFC bantamweight champion, fighter of the "Archangel Michael" club, Petr Yan. The athlete spoke at the educational forum "Russia — a Family of Families" organised by the Russian society Znanie and dedicated to the opening of the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia.
"I am proud to represent Russia and to enter with the national flag. I am sure that fans and spectators feel it too. These are indescribable emotions when your hand is raised and the national anthem is played. I wish everyone could experience this at least once in their life," Petr Yan said.
The athlete won the UFC bantamweight title after defeating Georgian fighter Merab Dvalishvili in December 2025. Petr Yan’s professional MMA record stands at 20 wins and 5 losses. Answering questions from forum participants, Petr Yan emphasised that discipline is extremely important in sport.
"Motivation in sport tends to come and go. But discipline is more important. When you do painstaking work day after day, when motivation is running low, you tell yourself: 'I set a goal for myself and I must achieve it'," the athlete explained.
When asked whether he plans to change weight divisions in the future, Petr Yan replied negatively: "For now, I do not plan to, and there have been no such offers. My goal for now is to defend the title, to make you happy and to make myself happy."
The athlete also said that he maintains relationships with almost all the coaches who took part in his professional development. According to him, parents should approach the choice of a coach with great responsibility.
"A coach is a second father, a second mother. I am very grateful to each of them. I keep in touch with almost all of them. I would like to tell all young athletes — love, value and respect them. An educator, a teacher, a coach — these are not just professions, but a calling of people who devote their lives to our children so that they become better than we are," the fighter added.
As part of the marathon "Russia — a Family of Families", the National Centre RUSSIA was visited by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, who launched the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. The event brought together more than four thousand participants — representatives of over 190 peoples of Russia, school students, university students and international guests.
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