UFC 238: Petr Yan Fires Off More Verbal Shots, Warns Cory Sandhagen

As Petr Yan gets set to face Jimmie Rivera at UFC 238, the rising bantamweight continues to speak his mind and deliver verbal jabs.

The Russian fighter has been making waves in the UFC since he arrived in the promotion last year, in and out of the cage. Not only has Yan defeated Teruto Ishihara, Jin Soon Son, Douglas Silva de Andrade and John Dodson, he’s also turned heads with his words as well.

Well, recently Yan was a guest on the “Eurobash” podcast, and the 26-year-old laid into both John Lineker and Cory Sandhagen. While discussing Lineker, Yan reportedly said this (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“His head is bigger than his body; it’s hard not to hit him. He’s got a big head and he throws wide punches, so it’s an easy matchup for me.”

And what about the surging Sandhagen? Who is coming off a decision win over Linker? “No Mercy” said this:

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Cory fight, I can tell he’s a striker. He has a good striking style, but I can see that he still fights like an amateur. He landed hundreds and hundreds of punches and never had Lineker in real trouble. He’s like a point fighter and I see holes in his wrestling and grappling too.”

“I would like to f*ck him up in the future too.”

There you have it. Now, sure, trash talk isn’t everyone’s thing, but in this day and age, there’s no question it can accelerate a fighter’s career. Especially when it’s coupled with successes in the cage, which Yan has certainly been delivering. If Yan (12-1) can get by Rivera on June 8th, who is ranked #7, a top-five ranked opponent could very well be next.

UFC 238 will be hosted the United Center in Chicago. Rivera (22-3), meanwhile, is coming off a decision loss to Aljamain Sterling in February.