Marcus McGhee Says the UFC Has Stalled His Rise Since Petr Yan

Marcus McGhee thinks his career hit a speed bump, and he's naming names. The #15 bantamweight, 11-2 with eight knockouts, says the UFC has effectively parked him since a matchup with now-champion Petr Yan entered the conversation, leaving him watching from the sidelines while divisional peers rack up bookings.

McGhee argued that the inactivity has hurt him, pointing to Payton Talbott landing a spot on an upcoming card and Raoni Barcelos fighting just last week as proof that opponents were there for the taking. In his telling, he's been shoved down the queue ever since the Yan talk started swirling.

The Timing Doesn't Look Great for Him

There's context worth noting here. Yan sits at the top of the division at 20-5 (7 KO, 1 SUB) and is booked opposite Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333, a rematch after Yan already edged Dvalishvili by unanimous decision. When the champion's dance card is that crowded, a fighter on the fringe of the top 15 can easily get lost in the shuffle.

McGhee, for his part, isn't sitting completely idle. He's slotted to face Bernardo Sopaj at UFC 332, so the layoff he's complaining about is ending soon enough. His last time out, he grinded past John Yannis on the scorecards — a decision win that kept his ledger moving in the right direction.

The frustration is understandable given the math. Eight of McGhee's 11 wins have come by knockout, a finish rate that usually earns a fighter faster turnaround and bigger names. Instead, he feels like the near-miss with Yan cost him momentum rather than building it.

The Sopaj fight is his chance to reset the narrative. Beat a fresh opponent, look sharp doing it, and the ranking that's currently pinning him at #15 becomes a launchpad rather than a ceiling. If McGhee wants the activity he's been demanding, the simplest fix is to make the next one impossible to ignore.