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Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling have a history that goes back to December 2020 when they were first booked to fight each other. Personal issues on Yan's side pushed that bout back to UFC 259 in March 2021, where Yan lost his bantamweight belt to Sterling via disqualification after throwing an illegal knee.
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An immediate rematch had to be postponed after Sterling elected to undergo neck surgery, and then an October 2021 date was scrapped due to 'Aljo' not being fully recovered. Yan went on to fight and beat Cory Sandhagen for the interim bantamweight belt. Finally, at UFC 273 on April 9 there will be closure as the 135 lbs titles will be unified.
During a new interview on The MMA Hour, Yan was asked if he was looking forward to being done thinking about Aljamain Sterling. He answered:
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"Just imagine: he was thinking about me and I didn't think about him at all. He had a long layoff, I had a different opponent that I fought. Now he's my next title defense that I'm going to beat up. And after Saturday night, everyone going to forget about him. He's just another clown that will be forgotten."
As for how Yan expects the fight to go, he kept his prediction simple. He said:
"I will make sure there will be no questions left, and you're going to see his crying face on your TV again."
Watch Petr Yan's full interview with The MMA Hour below:
Petr Yan is in phenomenal shape heading into his UFC 273 rematch with Aljamain Sterling
While Petr Yan is still a heavy favorite going into UFC 273, many fans are talking about Aljamain Sterling and how muscular he's looking for this fight. Sterling has always been known for his strength and cardio, but following his neck surgery he's said he can finally work out the way he wants. The results certainly show on social media.
Not to be outdone, Petr Yan has also posted some social media videos of his workouts, and the interim bantamweight champ is also looking like he's in the best shape of his life.
UFC 273 will take place on April 9 from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
