UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan engaged in verbal warfare on Twitter and their equation seems to be getting worse. There’s no love lost between both men following the news that Sterling won’t be defending his belt at UFC 267. Yan and Sterling were engaged in one of the most controversial title fights back at UFC 259 when the title changed hands.

Ever since their first fight, efforts are being made to put together a rematch which has now also fallen through. Following the news of the cancelation, both men went at it on Twitter where it was revealed that Petr Yan blocked Aljamain Sterling. ‘No Mercy’ Yan also went on to call Sterling a ‘coward’ for once again delaying their title fights.

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Aljamain Sterling vs Petr Yan: A twist in the tale

News recently broke that Aljamain Sterling’s removal from the aforementioned title fight wasn’t by his own choice. He was not injured heading into the fight, and indeed wanted to compete against Yan to bookend their rivalry. However, it was the medical team of doctors who did not clear Aljamain Sterling to fight after neck surgery.

After undergoing neck surgery, fighters usually need a year on the sidelines to effectively recover and grapple freely. ‘The Funkmaster’ tried to expedite the process and it clearly hasn’t panned out the way he initially intended it to. He will likely get clearance to fight only in the first quarter of 2022.

However, in the meantime, an interim title fight is being set up and Cory Sandhagen is a prime candidate to face Petr Yan. Per Mike Bohn, this would be the first time an interim title fight would be set up where both fighters are coming off losses.

Regardless of the way things play out, fans can forget about seeing Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling for the belt anytime soon. It will be interesting to see how the news of Sterling involuntarily being forced from his fights is perceived by Yan. More likely than not, this breaking news won’t play any part in diminishing their rivalry.

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