John Dodson vs. Petr Yan added to UFC Prague

MMAfighting.com

A key bantamweight contest is heading to Prague.

On Thursday afternoon, MMA Fighting confirmed an initial report from ESPN that rising 135-pound prospect Petr Yan will square off against UFC veteran John Dodson on the UFC’s first card in the Czech Republic.

Dodson (20-10), winner of season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, has traded wins and losses since making a return to the bantamweight division in 2016, which includes victories over Pedro Munhoz and Eddie Wineland. In his most recent outing, “The Magician” dropped a decision to Jimmie Rivera in September.

Prior to moving up in weight, Dodson competed at flyweight, where fans saw him come up short in his bid for the title against former champion Demetrious Johnson on two separate occasions.

Yan (11-1), who recently signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC, has yet to taste defeat under the UFC banner. In his promotional debut, the man known as “No Mercy” steamrolled over fan favorite Teruto Ishihara. He would later follow this up with a decision win over Jin Soo Son and a TKO win over Douglas Silva de Andrade, during which he forced the Brazilian’s corner to throw in the towel.

The entire card is currently slated to go down on Feb. 23 inside O2 Arena. A light heavyweight clash between Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos will serve as the main event.