On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were brought over to compete in the 2 new weight divisions. Yahya was expected to face Chan Sung Jung on January 22, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 23. However, Jung was forced from the card with an injury. and replaced by Mike Brown. Yahya won the fight via unanimous decision. Yahya was expected to face Dustin Poirier on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131, but had to pull out of the bout due to injury. Yahya next faced Chad Mendes on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Yahya was expected to face Jonathan Brookins on February 15, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 1, but was forced out of the bout with an injury. Yahya fought Josh Grispi on August 4, 2012 at, replacing an injured Pablo Garza. Yahya was victorious, defeating Grispi in the first round with a north-south choke. Yahya faced promotional newcomer Mizuto Hirota on March 3, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 8. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Yahya next faced Josh Clopton on August 3, 2013 at UFC 163. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Yahya faced promotional newcomer Tom Niinimäki on November 30, 2013 at. He lost the fight via split decision. Yahya faced Johnny Bedford in a bantamweight bout on April 11, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 39. The bout ended in a No Contest as an accidental clash of heads rendered Yahya unable to protect himself, forcing a referee stoppage at 0:39 of round 1. A rematch with Bedford was expected to take place on June 28, 2014 at. However, Yahya was forced out of the bout and replaced by Cody Gibson. The rescheduled rematch with Bedford eventually took place on September 13, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 51. Yahya won via submission in the second round. Yahya was expected to face Masanori Kanehara on June 27, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 70. However, as the event approached, several international fighters experienced travel restrictions due to technical issues within the Bureau of Consular Affairs division of the U.S. State Department which produces travel visas. The issue lead to a major altering of the card as multiple fights were postponed. Yahya/Kanehara eventually took place on July 15, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 71. Yahya won the fight by split decision. Yahya next faced touted promotional newcomer Matthew Lopez on July 13, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 91. Yahya won the fight via submission in the third round. Yahya faced Michinori Tanaka on September 24, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 95. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Yahya faced Joe Soto on March 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 106. He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Yahya faced Henry Briones on August 5, 2017 at. He won the fight via a kimura submission in the first round. Yahya was expected to face Aljamain Sterling on December 9, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 123. However, Yahya pulled out of the event due to injury. Yahya faced Russell Doane on February 24, 2018 at UFC on Fox 28. He won the fight via submission in the third round. Yahya faced Luke Sanders on August 25, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 135. He won the fight via heel hook submission in the first round. Yahya faced Ricky Simon on February 10, 2019 at UFC 234. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Yahya faced Enrique Barzola on March 14, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 170. After a back-and-forth three rounds, the judges declared the bout a majority draw decision.
Grappling credentials
ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships ADCC 2007 –65 kg: 1st Place ADCC 2005 –65 kg: 2nd Place ADCC 2003 –65 kg: Quarter finals. Record of opponents:
Won: Teemu Launis, Mario Delgado, Wagney Fabiano, Marcio Feitosa Souza, Darell Moodley, Bruno 'Chavez' Frazzato, Baret Yoshida, Leo 'Leozinho' Vieira, Kohei Yasumi, Jeff Glover
