Rani Yahya requests Bryan Caraway, Urijah Faber for South American clash

ORLANDO, Fla. – Despite the passing of his mother, Brazilian submission ace Rani Yahya never once considered withdrawing from UFC on FOX 28. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“All the time, I knew that I was going to go through (with the fight) because my mother was always very proud of me,” Yahya told MMAjunkie after the event. “She was a huge motivator. She always came to watch my fights – a big fan of mine – so there was no way I was going to step back. At the end of the day, it was sad for me, and it gave me a lot of motivation for me to come here, win, and dedicate this win to her.”

Yahya (25-9 MMA, 10-3 UFC) faced Russell Doane (15-8 MMA, 3-5 UFC) on the UFC Fight Pass-streamed prelims of Saturday’s UFC on FOX 28 event, which took place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

Yahya entered the contest with a heavy heart, just 10 days after his mother’s death. Yahya’s signature grappling attack was on display from the start, and it looked as if he might win the fight in the first, locking Doane in a painful-looking neck crank that somehow did not elicit a tap.

“I’ve never seen someone not tap on that neck crank before,” Yahya admitted. “I was almost telling the referee to stop because that can cause a serious injury. I was very, very surprised that he didn’t tap, and it shows the level of where we are in the UFC, you know. They are all warriors. He just didn’t tap.”

Nevertheless, Yahya carried on his submission-heavy attack and ultimately wore down his opponent and submitted him via arm-triangle in the third round. It was an especially impressive finish for Yahya, who has dealt with cardio issues in the past.

“I felt extremely good,” Yahya said. “Before, I used to get tired a lot, but I have a great team behind me, so they instructed me to do the right things to not get tired in the fight. I didn’t get tired in the fight at all, and I have no injuries.”

Yahya said he’ll now take some time to spend with family following their loss, but he’s hoping to keep some momentum rolling in his fighting career, as well. Always respectful in his career wishes, Yahya said he wants an opportunity to move the up rankings but would also appreciate the chance to engage with a fellow grappling specialist – even invoking the name of a retired Urijah Faber – at either the UFC’s upcoming return to Brazil or a yet-to-be-announced trip to Chile.

“I feel I’m ready to go again, so maybe I want to fight,” Yahya said. “I’ll talk to (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby. Dan Lambert is my manager now. I’ll talk to him, maybe for me to fight in May in Rio de Janeiro or in Chile. That would be good for me.

“There are many names. I think right now I’m the guy with the most wins in the bantamweight division. Maybe a fight with Bryan Caraway or Urijah Faber. It would be nice to fight one of these guys since we are grapplers.”

To hear more from Yahya, check out the video above.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 28, check out the UFC Events section of the site.