Yan: Garbrandt looking for 'easy way out' with potential move to 125 lbs
Petr Yan believes Cody Garbrandt's potential move to flyweight is a sign that the former bantamweight champion can't compete with the elite fighters in the division anymore.
"I think he's just running away from bantamweight," Yan told theScore through his translator, Sayat Abdrakhmanov. "He’s been knocked out three times in a row in this division. So he is just ... looking for (an) easy way out, but you can't run away from your destiny."
Yan (14-1) had been linked to a potential fight against "No Love" after they got into an altercation following the former's victory over Garbrandt's teammate Urijah Faber at UFC 245.
Instead, the 27-year-old Yan is scheduled to face fellow contender Marlon Moraes in the main event of UFC Kazakhstan on June 13. "No Mercy" believes a victory would solidify his opportunity to fight the winner of the Henry Cejudo-versus-Dominick Cruz title fight on May 9.
"UFC didn't guarantee me (a title shot) and promise me anything," Yan said. "But if I beat Moraes, I will be No. 1-ranked guy in the division and I will be on the seven-fight winning streak. No one else (will have) that streak in the division, so it will be hard to deny my shot, you know? No one could argue is that I deserve to fight for the title."
Watch the full interview with Yan below (27:17 mark) and subscribe to theScoreMMA YouTube channel here.