Former UFC champion Petr Yan has gifted his coach John Hutchinson his dream vehicle; a pick-up truck, in a surprise ceremony outside their gym.
The Russian fighter, along with ONE FC's interim heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin, presented Hutchinson with the new motor at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket this week, with crypto company blockasset assisting in the purchase. The Irishman, who goes by 'John Boy', was in the corner for Yan's first title win over Jose Aldo in 2020 after working with him for years.
A former boxer, Hutchinson moved to Thailand to train in the mid 2010s, and began working as a pad man for MMA fighters at the famed Muay Thai gym. However, he struck up a close relationship with Yan and a number of others, who began referring to him as "coach" with their minimal English, eventually adopting him as such for their fights.
And Yan recalled their friendship in a speech outside the gym yesterday, saying: "I don't know a coach more who woke up every day at 5.30 or 6am and called every fighter to tell them 'wake up, we need hard work'. He's just an old school coach, you're a legend brother."
Hutchinson is the head boxing coach at the gym, and is currently working with Yan and Malykhin ahead of their returns to action, with the bantamweight facing Sean O'Malley next month at UFC 280. He is also dealing with Brits Darren Till and Brendan Loughnane, who are working towards major upcoming fights.
Do you believe that Petr Yan will beat Sean O'Malley at UFC 280? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Till was being pulled from the UFC London co-main event in July with an injury and returns at UFC 282 on December 10 against Dricus Du Plessis. Meanwhile, Loughnane is just two months out from the $1million PFL finals, where he faces Bubba Jenkins at New York's Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden.
"Today is a crazy day," Huthinson wrote in an Instagram post after being gifted the truck. "So thankful for everything in life. Peter and Anatoliy [are the] best of the best, let's go!" Yan responded in a comment by further praising his coach and saying that he deserves "more" than the expensive gift.
