Who is Petr Yan's wife? A closer look at the former UFC champion's family life

Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan returns to action on July 26 in Abu Dhabi. He will take on Marcus McGhee on a card headlined by Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder.

Yan is backed by strong support from his family, who are often spotted cageside whenever he competes. Julia Yan, his wife, has been by his side from the very beginning.

Their first son, Daniil, was born in 2016, just as Yan was climbing the MMA ranks. Four years later, the pair had their second son, Konstantin. That same year, Yan became a UFC champion.

Julia regularly shares moments that offer a glimpse into their world. Recently, after Yan wrapped up a grueling three-week mountain camp, Julia posted a photo series, and captioned the post:

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"It was a beautiful weekend. For 3 weeks, my husband was in the mountains on a training camp, I missed him, flew in to hug him. @petr_yan you are my [heart]."

Check out the Instagram post below:

She celebrated her birthday two weeks back. Julia shared a bunch of images from the celebration and thanked Yan, writing:

“Thank you all for your congratulations. Husband, thank you very much, you know everything."

Check out the Instagram post below:

Meanwhile, Yan is gearing up for his first fight this year after racking up solid wins over Deiveson Figueiredo and Song Yadong in 2024. McGhee enters this fight riding a six-fight win streak and a recent win over Jonathan Martinez by decision at UFC 309.

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When Petr Yan fought homesickness ahead of a fight

When Petr Yan prepared for his title defense at UFC 259, the toughest part of camp was staying away from his family. While he trained in Pompano Beach, Florida, his wife Julia and their two sons remained in Yekaterinburg.

The ten-hour time difference meant Yan would often wait just to catch a short video call before bed. That distance wore on him. Coaches noticed it, even when he was locked in during training.

According to a past feature by ESPN MMA, Yan addressed the homesickness, stating:

"Sometimes I try to wait until they wake up, so we can [video] chat for a half hour, and then I can go to bed."

Petru Grati, who linked up with Yan to set up the training camp in Florida, said:

"It's hard for him. He's not telling you, but I see it when he's talking to his wife on FaceTime. ... I'm looking at his face. He's missing them. He's a family guy... He's telling me, 'My kids are going to grow up, and what are they going to remember? Me home or somewhere else?'"

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar