“He Could Have Got His Surgery After the Fight”- Petr Yan Says He Will Not Offer Aljamain Sterling a Rematch

Petr Yan has established himself as one of the UFC’s most dominant fighters. As of October 2021, the former UFC champion sits atop the UFC’s bantamweight rankings. At the bantamweight level, the 15-2-0 fighter’s striking ability is unequaled.

‘No Mercy’ was unbeaten in the UFC until he struck Aljamain Sterling with an illegal knee at UFC 259 and lost the belt via a disqualification. Many felt Sterling simply pretended he couldn’t continue the fight in order to win the UFC bantamweight title.

A rematch for the title was scheduled for UFC 267. However, Sterling pulled out due to a neck surgery.

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Petr Yan recently appeared at a press conference in preparation for his forthcoming bout. During the interview, he responded to whether he needed a second fight against Sterling to prove he is the better fighter.

The former champion said (via a translator), “You know, Sterling needs a rematch to prove that he can do something. For me, I’m not interested in the rematch if I win the belt with Sandhagen. As you know, he ran away. He could have got his surgery after the fight. Postponed it. Or he could have done it earlier. He’s had this injury for like 10 years, but he decided to run away.”

What’s next for Petr Yan?

Petr Yan is all set to take on Cory “The Sandman” Sandhagen at the upcoming UFC 267. The fight will be a five-rounder with the interim UFC bantamweight championship on the line. Sandhagen has a slight height and reach advantage over Petr Yan for this fight, but we have seen Yan beat many opponents bigger than him in the past.

UFC 267 will mark a rare sight as both championship contenders are coming off losses. However, both their last defeats were very controversial. While Yan lost his last fight after an illegal knee resulted in Sterling being unable to continue, Cory Sandhagen fought TJ Dillashaw and lost a razor-close split decision.

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What do you make of Yan’s comments on a Sterling rematch? For that to happen, he needs to win on Saturday. Can he do it?