Marcus McGhee has the utmost belief that he is a better fighter after his loss to Petr Yan, it’s just a shame he’s had to wait so long to show it.
McGhee (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has been eagerly awaiting his chance to return to the octagon after a unanimous decision loss to Yan in July. Yan went on to defeat Merab Dvalishvili to reclaim the bantamweight title in December, and McGhee has been champing at the bit to show what he can do.
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After a hot start under the UFC banner, McGhee got a huge step up in the matchmaking against Yan. He fell short, but it confirmed a number of things to him, which he intends to back up when he returns to action June 6 against John Yannis (10-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 278 from Meta APEX in Las Vegas (Paramount+).
“I think I learned that I’m at that level,” McGhee told MMA Junkie Radio. “That I can compete with the guys at the highest level. I think I also learned that there’s times where you have to be cautious, and there’s time where you have to throw caution to the wind.
“I also learned a lot about my character: How I show up, how I’m a professional, how I carry myself and out of all if it, to go across the seas and challenge myself like that and compete like I competed, it just gave me a lot more respect for the character I bring to the table.”
McGhee goes from trying to take Yan’s place at the top of the division to defending his spot in the top 15 against a lesser-known name in Yannis. It’s a tricky position, but McGhee is confident his mindset for it is the right one.
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“He’s got some momentum behind him,” McGhee said. “He’s going to want to take what I have. So I’m not downplaying him at all. He’s obviously confident that he can beat me. That being said, I definitely think there’s a lot of different areas I can get the win and the finish. … I think I can get a knockout in emphatic fashion.”
If McGhee does get that emphatic win, it will allow him to look upward at 135 pounds again and try to restart a run toward the title. Time is precious for the 36-year-old, and he thinks the loss to Yan provided him with the knowledge to go all the way this time.
“I’d love to get that one back (with Yan), but whoever is wearing the strap, I just want to get to that level,” McGhee said. “I want to have that platform. I want to show people that you can be respectful, you can be honorable, you can exude the fruit of the spirit and you can wear that strap, and you don’t have to conform to what society says.
“You don’t have to jump on everyone else’s bandwagon and do it like they do it. You can stick to your morals and still get there. I don’t care who is holding the strap when it’s that time. I just want to show people my character can glean through all that.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC’s Marcus McGhee: Petr Yan loss taught me ‘I’m at that level’
