UFC Fight Night 95's Rani Yahya isn't impressed by Michinori Tanaka, wants ranked opposition

For UFC bantamweight Rani Yahya, fighting at home was reason enough to make a quick turnaround.

Yahya (22-8 MMA, 7-2 UFC) was in the spotlight for a submission victory over UFC newcomer Matt Lopez just two months ago at UFC Fight Night 91. He could have easily waited three months for his next bout.

Instead, he’s hopping back in the octagon just two months later, fighting Michinori Tanaka (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 95, which takes place Saturday in his birth city of Brasilia, Brazil.

“To fight at home is a great, due to several factors,” Yahya, who fights on the event’s FS1 prelims at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium, told MMAjunkie. “I can sleep in my own bed and don’t have to adapt to a new time zone. I don’t have to fly. The fans will be on my side, which counts for a lot.”

Yahya’s sharpens his formidable grappling skills in Brasilia with Constrictor Team. But he’s also been working on his striking in anticipation of his fight with Tanaka, who’s coming off a split-call win over Joe Soto at UFC 195.

“His striking base, the way he moves, comes from karate,” Yahya said of the Japanese fighter. “So I’ve been training karate too. I’m very ready for anything he’d like to try.”

The good news for Yahya is that he sees Tanaka’s tendency to also take the fight to the ground, which is where he thrives.

“I saw that in every fight of his I watched,” Yahya said. “He’s a fighter who likes to take the fight to the ground. But his ground game has a lot of gaps. He gives up his back. He has a position where he gives up his back and then quickly turns into his opponent’s guard. It’s a specialty of his.”

If you’re Yahya’s opponent, giving up your back is never a good idea. Although most of his submissions come from top position, part of his talent lies in winning scrambles that give him the opportunity to set them up.

And Yayha isn’t too concerned about what might happen if Tanaka decides to make the fight a striking affair.

“On the feet, he starts out strong, throwing powerful strikes, but then he fades,” Yahya said. “He moves around a lot. He’s a good fighter, with only one defeat, a split decision. Ultimately, I don’t think he’s that impressive. Just the opposite. There are many holes in his game.”

So if Yahya expects Saturday to be such a walk in the park, what makes the fight so important? For the 32-year-old fighter, it’s what could come next in his career. Despite three straight wins, he hasn’t fought any competition of note for the past four years. The last ranked opponent he fought was in the featherweight division, when he met Chad Mendes at UFC 133 and lost by decision.

Since dropping to bantamweight, it’s been tough for Yahya to climb out of the pack. So he wants to win impressively to show the bosses he’s capable of more.

“Without a doubt, I’m highly focused on this fight,” he said. “This fight is what’s most important to me at the moment. So I haven’t put much thought about what’s next. My last opponents were ranked below me. So, I’d like to face someone ranked above me next.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 95, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.