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Aljamain Sterling has fired shots at Petr Yan ahead of their rematch that’s set to transpire at UFC 273. Their first fight witnessed Sterling beat Yan via DQ (Disqualification) at UFC 259 in March 2021.
The DQ was courtesy of Yan landing an illegal knee to Sterling’s head while the latter was down on the mat. Yan thereby lost his UFC bantamweight title to Sterling, and their intense rivalry steadily ascended to another crescendo in the ensuing months.
Russia’s Petr Yan has time and again accused his American counterpart Sterling of deceitfully winning the title by pretending to be hurt by the knee strike. Meanwhile, Sterling has consistently criticized Yan for breaking the rules by utilizing the illegal knee strike.
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Sterling has now posted a photo of himself with a book titled 'MMA Rulebook 4 Dummies,’ which is likely yet another shot at Yan breaking the rules in their last encounter. Sterling attached a statement to his tweet that read:
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“Almost go time! Getting all my essentials packed! #UFC273”
Sterling also tweeted a video featuring a skit in which he and some of his teammates recreated the position he was in at UFC 259 against Yan. On being asked what a fighter ought to do against a downed opponent, one teammate answered they can punch the opponent whereas another suggested going for a chokehold.
Following that, Sterling’s longtime teammate, UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili, hilariously mimicked Yan and pretended to hit the downed opponent with a knee. Additionally, Sterling attached the following statement alongside the video:
“Going over some Fight IQ with the team….. ya know so that they never lose their belt. The best seller, MMA Rule Book For Dummies, by yours truly is available worldwide. Even in Russia and Thailand. #justsaying Tag a friend or a (clown) who needs this book!”
Watch Sterling’s skit against Yan in the video below:
Aljamain Sterling on his potential opponents after his rematch against Petr Yan
UFC bantamweight champion Sterling is scheduled to face interim UFC bantamweight champion Yan at UFC 273 on April 9.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Sterling suggested that he aims to beat Yan, emerge as the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion and then face former bantamweight champions Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw.
'Funk Master' also expressed interest in facing former UFC featherweight champion and current bantamweight contender Jose Aldo. Aljamain Sterling said:
“I just can’t wait to just move past this chapter in my life and finally go on to talking sh** to somebody else like Dillashaw, and looking to take out Aldo, looking to take out Cruz; whoever else is next.”
Aljamain Sterling talks about his next fight:
