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Kenny Florian believes Aljamain Sterling could shock the world by beating Petr Yan at UFC 273. Sterling and Yan are set to compete in a bantamweight title unification bout in the co-headliner of the pay-per-view event, which will take place on April 9.
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Despite being the bantamweight champion, Sterling is the clear underdog heading into the fight. While everyone seems to think that 'No Mercy' will recapture the title at UFC 273, Florian believes fans might be in for a shock.
The former UFC fighter hailed Yan as one of the best fighters in the promotion right now. He believes the Russian has the edge over Aljamain Sterling in the striking department and might end up winning the fight. However, he isn't ruling out the possibility of Sterling causing an upset either.
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Florian feels that Sterling has a very strong wrestling game and if he can pace himself better in the rematch, he might ask questions that Yan may not have the answers to.
During a recent episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast, 'KenFlo' said:
"Last time I looked it was, [Sterling] was a plus 340 underdog. Yeah, I like that here, I really do and you know Ray [Longo] has been singing his praises. It seems like he's doing everything right. I love the way Petr Yan fights, he's one of my favorite fighters in the UFC right now, but I don't know, I kind of like Aljo here. I think people are kind of sleeping on him a little bit."
Watch the latest episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast below:
Cory Sandhagen weighs in on upcoming fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling
Cory Sandhagen has faced both Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan inside the octagon in the past. While he suffered a first-round submission loss against Sterling, Sandhagen dropped a close decision against Yan following a five-round slugfest inside the octagon.
According to Sandhagen, 'No Mercy' is more likely to get his hand raised in the rematch with Sterling. Having said that, he also feels it'd be foolish to completely underestimate 'Funk Master'. During a recent interaction with MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun, Sandhagen said:
"I think Yan is likely the more well-rounded guy, but I think if Yan goes in thinking that he’s just gonna crush him because of the way that the last fight went, I think that would be a huge mistake on Yan’s part. But I don’t think he’s that poor of a competitor."
Check out Sandhagen's interview with MMA Junkie below:
