5 biggest storylines heading into UFC 273

#2. Will the Khamzat Chimaev hype continue to build after UFC 273?

UFC Fight Night: Chimaev v Meerschaert

Another undefeated fighter on the UFC 273 bill is Khamzat Chimaez. At 10-0, Chimaev has had one of the most dominant and quickest rises to fame. To validate expectations and lengthen the tracks that his hype train is soaring on, he'll need to get past Gilbert Burns.

Burns is no slouch. He's fought for the belt, has bombs for hands, and is one of the most decorated jiu-jitsu practitioners in the UFC. Coming off of a decisive win against Stephen Thompson, 'Durinho' was one of the few that elected to take a fight against Chimaev.

This is a huge step up in competition for 'Borz', but he's the betting favorite nonetheless. This welterweight bout has significant title implications, seeing as Burns is ranked No.2 in the division. UFC 273 has a lot to offer, but fans are gathered in anticipation to see just how true the hype behind Chimaev is.

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#1. Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling

UFC 259: Yan v Sterling

In what was possibly the most controversial change of titleholders, Aljamain Sterling ate an illegal knee that was fired ferociously at his head while he was deemed to be grounded. Petr Yan, the former champion, thought that Sterling would be on his way up and fired the knee to catch him as soon as it would be a legal strike. This wasn't the case, however.

While Sterling is the champion, he won via disqualification in a fight that looked harder and harder for him with each passing minute. 'Funk Master' did have success in the first two rounds, but the remainder of the fight was him surviving against a barrage of offense from 'No Mercy'.

Yan defeated Cory Sandhagan to claim the bantamweight's interim title, which led us to where we are today. Sterling has had surgery and has put in the requisite work to feel confident that this UFC 273 match will go much differently than their first meeting. On the other side of things, the Russian looks to pick up where he left off and decisively rid the bantamweight title of Aljamain Sterling.