If Saturday’s UFC main event between Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo had happened four years ago, it would have been a superfight between champion and champion.

Yan and Figueiredo won UFC titles within a week of each other in July 2020, Yan at bantamweight and Figueiredo 10 pounds lighter at flyweight. But both were soon dethroned and have been trying to climb back to that mountaintop ever since. Yan took a big step in that direction with a unanimous decision win at a matinee UFC Fight Night in Macau, China.

Yan (18-5) was knocked out by Figueiredo (24-4-1) in the first 30 seconds of the fight, but he quickly reversed his position and wreaked havoc from the top. Yan remained in control for the remainder of the fight, winning every round on the judges’ scorecards (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) and ending the 36-year-old Figueiredo’s four-fight winning streak.

Yan, who is 31 and from Russia, landed more than double Figueiredo’s significant hits (121-53) and was much more accurate, especially with lead uppercuts that knocked his opponent’s head back several times. But Figueiredo, a two-time champion, remained dangerous all the way, especially during a surge at the end of Round 4 that briefly forced Yan to retreat.

Yan quickly got back into the rhythm and rode to his second victory in a row. He then declared champion Merab Dvalishvili.

“Before my fight, Merab talked about Deiveson Figueiredo (as his) No. 1 contender who deserves the title fight,” Yan said. “I want to say, ‘Merab, what are you saying now, when I beat No. 1 in my division?’ I want to compete with Merab. Let’s go.”

Yan is No. 5 in ESPN’s bantamweight rankings, Figueiredo No. 7.

The main event was one of two fights pitting top 10 fighters against each other.

In the strawweight co-main event, Yan Xiaonan, ranked No. 4 in the division and 10th in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings, picked No. 10 Tabatha Ricci for three rounds and won a clear unanimous decision (30-27). , 30-27, 30-27).

Yan (19-4, 1 NC) got back on track after losing to champion Zhang Weili in a title challenge in April. She was one step ahead of Ricci all the way (11-3), starting with a 16-0 lead in key bouts in Round 1, en route to a 78-15 lead for the fight.

After the fight, Yan pointed at Zhang in the crowd and shouted, “Weili, I want a rematch!”

Another fighter on ESPN’s rankings was in action: Volkan Oezdemir (20-8), the No. 8 light heavyweight. He lost a decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27) to Carlos Ulberg (11-1), who won seven in a row.

Earlier, strawweight Feng Xiaocan was taken out of the Octagon on a stretcher and taken to a hospital after being knocked out with a headbutt by Shi Ming in the 115-pound final of the Road to the UFC tournament. The broadcast later updated Feng’s status, saying she suffered no fractures or neck injuries but remained hospitalized.