Rob Font has his mind made up on who would be the tougher matchup for him between UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan.
Rob Font may be knocking at the door of a world title shot after defeating Cody Garbrandt last night at UFC Vegas 27. Entering the fight ranked at #3, defeating a former world champion who was also ranked within the top 5 has to put Font no more than one fight away from a world title shot. With an upcoming fight between another former champion T.J. Dillashaw going against Cory Sandhagen, Font will likely have to wait until after the winner of that contest to fight the winner of the eventual rematch between Sterling and Yan.
Font did not give a prediction on who would be the champion should he earn a title shot in the near future, nor did he predict the outcome for the specific fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. However, he does have a firm opinion on which of the two fighters would pose a greater challenge for him (via ESPN MMA).
“I think Aljamain [Sterling] might be a tougher puzzle to solve,” Font told reporters at the UFC Vegas 27 post-fight press conference. “Petr Yan is similar to Cody [Garbradnt]; stay long, long jab, and let him run into something big. Aljamain’s a little trickier because of the wrestling and his length.”
Font’s assessment may be met with raised eyebrows after Yan appeared to be getting the better of Sterling and seemed well on his way to a win before suddenly and astonishingly kneeing Sterling to high heaven while the Funkmaster was a downed opponent. The illegality of the maneuver cost Yan the title, and he will have to replicate the success he found in the second half of that fight if he is to recapture the title.
Even after watching said success, Rob Font seems to believe that his specific style matches up more favorably against a fellow striker in Yan, whereas the wrestling-heavy Sterling gives him more to think about and overcome.
There is currently no date set for the rematch between Sterling and Yan. But however long it takes for the bantamweight division’s title picture to settle, Font finds himself in the advantageous position where he could potentially sit out and the title shot could eventually find him.
Do you agree with Rob Font? Is Aljamain Sterling a tougher fight for him than Petr Yan?
