Lani Yahya was scheduled to face Cody Garbrandt in 2022, but was forced to withdraw due to a lingering neck injury.
Yahya, who is scheduled to face Victor Henry at UFC Vegas 91 on Saturday, would like to revisit that matchup.
“That fight was on my mind for a long time because it was going to be the biggest fight of my life,” Yahya told MMA Fighting. “He was a former champion and a big name and was going to be a semi-main event at the time. Yes. [re-booking it] That's definitely something I want to do. My focus is Victor Henry and that's all I'm thinking about right now, same cliché as always, but I'll admit I'm thinking about fighting Cody Garbrandt. ”
Garbrandt went on to win against Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher after a failed fight against Yahya, but he most recently lost to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300.
Yahya, 39, is also looking to get back in the win column after suffering a TKO loss to Montel Jackson in April 2023. The Brazilian bantamweight is finally back to 100 percent fitness after an injury forced him to cancel his scheduled fight with Alatengheiri in October. Also.
“The doctors said I was cleared to fight.” [Alateng] “But there were still some issues that needed to be fixed,” Yahya said. I decided to take a break for a while. He wasn't in a rush to get back into the game, but wanted to take his time to recover and be fully healthy again. I've been in this sport for 22 years and have a lot of mileage, over 40 fights, half of which are in the UFC, so I want to give the best performance I can. I'm feeling good now, so I want to make use of this experience. ”
Yahya has won 13 of his 20 Octagon appearances, including one draw and one no-contest. He used his Jiu-Jitsu skills to take on seven of them.
Henry has two wins under the UFC banner, with two decisions over Tony Gravely and Raoni Barcelos. His last fight, against Javid Basharat in October, ended in a no-contest due to an accidental groin hit.
“He's a mixed martial artist who likes to stand up and throw kicks,” Yahya said of Henry. “He moves well and has some volume, but I don't think he's a deadly knockout artist with heavy hands. He also has too many gaps in his legs, but he shows good conditioning. On his feet, on the ground, with his technique. There's nothing really surprising about it, I think there's just too much room to explore.
“Everyone I fight wants to avoid grappling, and I think Henry is the same, but he's usually a guy who likes to grapple. There were a few fights where he stood up and defended well against the fence. Nothing unusual, but he may decide to take the risk and fight on the ground. I've seen him use footlocks and catch wrestling styles. And some people who have fought him have given me some feedback: I'm ready for any scenario, even though the coach might tell him to avoid grappling. Sometimes it goes back to instinct.”