UFC free fight: Petr Yan knocks out Urijah Faber to earn title shot

On the cusp of title contention, Petr Yan cemented his place with an emphatic finish.

Unbeaten in the UFC, Yan faced Hall of Famer Urijah Faber at UFC 245 looking to notch his ninth win in a row.

Yan looked confident and loose on the feet, stalking Faber while throwing feints and fakes. After a patient first round, Yan started to open up midway through Round 2, and dropped Faber with a big combination. Faber survived, but was dropped once again by a slicing elbow that had him gushing blood.

In the opening minute of Round 3, Yan applied the finishing touches by blasting Faber with a head kick that ended the fight. Yan went on to stop Jose Aldo in the fifth round at UFC 251, capturing the vacant bantamweight title.

Yan (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) returns to action on Dec. 12, when he puts his title on the line against Aljamain Sterling (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) at UFC 256, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Before he faces Sterling, relive Yan’s finish of Faber in the video above.