We might be seeing the rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan this fall.
History was made back in March but it wasn’t exactly what fight fans wanted to see. Yan’s UFC Bantamweight Title run came to an end when he connected with a knee to the head of Sterling, who was down. Since this is illegal under the unified rules, Sterling was awarded the 135-pound title. It marked the first time a UFC title changed hands due to a DQ.
Since that fight, both Sterling and Yan have traded barbs on social media. Sterling had been recovering from neck surgery but it appears he will be ready to return to action soon.
During an interview with UFC Arabia, UFC President Dana White revealed that Sterling vs. Yan 2 could be on tap this fall.
“Yes, definitely. Probably sometime in October.”
The current plan is to have October 30 be the date for UFC 267. It’ll be held in Abu Dhabi. If Sterling vs. Yan 2 is featured on this card, it will not serve as the main event. That distinction goes to the light heavyweight title bout between champion Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira.
Sterling is riding a six-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a loss since December 2017 when he was knocked out by Marlon Moraes. In his current stretch, Sterling has defeated Yan, Cory Sandhagen, Pedro Munhoz, Jimmie Rivera, Cody Stamann, and Brett Johns.
Yan has been on a tear in the UFC despite the DQ loss. Before losing the title, Yan won 10 fights in a row. Half of those bouts ended in a knockout or TKO, including his bantamweight title win over Jose Aldo back in July 2020.
