Petr Yan is still trying to call the shots of the bantamweight title picture, whether Cory Sandhagen likes it or not.
T.J. Dillashaw has made it widely known that he would like for his comeback fight to be for the world title. The thing is, he is coming off a two-year suspension from doping, so he doesn’t exactly have the most clout at the moment. Lucky for him, someone who does, reigning bantamweight champion Petr Yan, likes the idea of fighting Dillashaw if he is able to get past Aljamain Sterling Saturday at UFC 259.
Cory Sandhagen has taken exception to Yan proclaiming who should be fighting for the title given Yan’s unconventional if not relatively easy route to gold himself. But Sandhagen’s protests have gone unheard, and Yan has doubled-down on his hopes of fighting Dillashaw while also explaining while a Sandhagen fight doesn’t pique his interest.
“If I win easy over Sterling, next fight has to be very big. Sandhagen, he lost to Sterling. I think maybe Dillashaw,” Yan said during a recent interview on Fanatics View. “T.J. Dillashaw is back after doping tests and I want to fight him.”
Sandhagen & Dillashaw Will Have All Eyes On Yan/Sterling Bout
Petr Yan was direct as always and is a man of few words, but the brevity of the statement will not lessen Sandhagen’s displeasure in hearing it. Sandhagen is currently ranked #2 behind Aljamain Sterling, so from a rankings standpoint, he would be next in line for the title.
If Yan gets his wish, Sandhagen’s ranking position and recent stellar performances will be irrelevant. If Sterling wins, though, there would be fewer obstacles between Sandhagen receiving a title shot, and he’d also have an opportunity to avenge his most recent loss, which came at the hands of Sterling.
All things considered, T.J. Dillashaw will have reasons to cheer on Petr Yan this Saturday while Cory Sandhagen may be actively rooting against him.
Which fight would you be more interested in for Petr Yan next if he gets past Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259: T.J. Dillashaw or Cory Sandhagen?
