Petr Yan continues to insist he'll have an all-star line-up of UFC fighters in his corner for UFC 273.
When news came out that Yan's coaches from RCC Academy in Russia couldn't enter the US to corner him, Yan made an appeal on Instagram for Henry Cejudo and Sean O'Malley to step in.
Both men accepted that invitation, but the general consensus is this is mainly a promotional stunt. No one is seriously expecting them to walk out with Petr Yan when he rematches Aljamain Sterling for the undisputed bantamweight belt.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
During an interview with The MMA Hour, Petr Yan insisted they would. He said:
"The situation now has stabilized, I have a couple of guys that are willing to help me. So I hope Cejudo and Sean O'Malley are going to show up on Saturday night. They just need to make sure they don't give me their s**t advice. Just give me ice and water and I'll be fine."
When pressed by The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani, Yan said:
"You'll find out on Saturday night. No stress at all. Like I told you, there's going to be one short cornerman and one long one ... Ariel, I told you I'm serious. They're really in my corner, yes? Just wait, you will see on Saturday."
Yan is currently in Florida preparing for his fight with American Top Team. A recent picture had him training with ATT head jiu-jitsu coach Marcos Parrumpa DaMatta and striking coach Artem Levin. Both those men would be capable of providing ice, water, and solid advice between rounds should Yan request it.
Watch the full interview with Yan on The MMA Hour below:
Petr Yan intends to put Aljamain Sterling's crying face on TV again
The first fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling ended in a disqualification after Yan hit Sterling with an illegal knee. An emotional Sterling cried as Yan's former belt was placed around his waist, and Yan cracked a joke at Sterling's expense on The MMA Hour. 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."
UFC 273 will take place on April 9 and will also features a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung as well as a welterweight contender bout between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev.
Watch the first fight between Yan and Sterling below: