UFC Fight Night: Marcus McGhee vs John Yannis Preview & Prediction
Marcus McGhee returns after nearly a year on the sidelines, facing a significant step down in competition as he faces John Yannis.
Marcus McGhee vs John Yannis facts
What time are Marcus McGhee and John Yannis expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 278
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim main card
Belal Muhammad vs Gabriel Bonfim (Welterweight)
Brendan Allen vs Edmen Shahbazyan (Middleweight)
Fares Ziam vs Tom Nolan (Lightweight)
Bryce Mitchell vs Santiago Luna (Bantamweight)
Iwo Baraniewski vs Junior Tafa (Light Heavyweight)
UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim prelims
Matt Schnell vs Alessandro Costa (Catchweight - 130 lb)
Marcus McGhee vs John Yannis (Bantamweight)
Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs Edgar Chairez (Flyweight)
Priscila Cachoeira vs Chelsea Chandler (Women’s Bantamweight)
Jordan Leavitt vs Joanderson Brito (Featherweight)
Jeisla Chaves vs Yuneisy Duben (Women’s Flyweight)
Ketlen Souza vs Ariane Carnelossi (Women’s Strawweight)
Marcus McGhee: "The Maniac" looks to stay relevant in a stacked 135 pound weight division
Returning for his first fight in almost a year, Marcus McGhee (10-2) gave 135 kingpin, Petr Yan, a run for his money in his most recent appearance, losing by hard fought decision in his first setback under the UFC banner. Prior to that, the heavy handed bantamweight had largely run roughshod over his competition in the promotion to date, reeling off a four fight win streak that included three brutal finishes over Journey Newson, JP Buys, and Gaston Bolanos. At 36, the MMA Lab representative is no spring chicken for bantamweight, but “The Maniac” has yet to show any signs of slowing down when he's in the cage.
John Yannis: The former Fury FC champion aims to push his UFC record to 2-1
Fresh off an impressive TKO victory over Jamie Siraj in his last appearance, John Yannis (10-4) steps in on late notice to replace Jakub Wiklacz for his second fight in just over two months. It was an impressive rebound from the former Fury FC bantamweight champion, having been completely dominated by Austin Bashi in a short notice debut where he lost to the prospect by first round submission. A powerful, slick striker with six wins coming by way of KO, Yannis’ primary shortcoming appears to be his jiu jitsu, having coughed up two defeats by way of submission across fourteen fights as a pro.
Marcus McGhee vs John Yannis prediction
Yannis looked solid in his most recent showing but this is an enormous step up in competition for him. McGhee gave a solid account of himself in defeat to current bantamweight champion, Petr Yan, even taking a round off “No Mercy” en route to a unanimous decision loss.
While he’s not the tallest fighter in the division, McGhee is still an enormous, poweful bantamweight and has legitimate KO power in his hands, a state of affairs evidenced by two knockouts in four UFC victories. Moreover, he’s also proven capable of winning a technical striking battle when he’s unable to get his opponent out of there early.
Yannis is likely to be in solid shape despite taking this one on short notice, having fought just over a month ago in a bout where he took virtually no damage. However, as a KO artist in his own right, the 31 year old’s best chance to win this is on the feet; namely, the area that McGhee has historically excelled and is arguably the more technical fighter.
McGhee’s age and a year long hiatus does raise some concerns as to whether he’ll look diminished in his return, but not to the point that Yannis looks like a sleeper pick. It’s not a lock that McGhee becomes the first man to KO Yannis, but we’re going with the MMA Lab representative to get his hand raised regardless of how he does it.
Prediction: Marcus McGhee to win by decision
