Aljamain Sterling might be the most controversial champion in bantamweight history. He has yet to defend his belt, which he was awarded when Petr Yan illegally kneed him in the head during their title fight. Scheduled rematches have all been non-starters so far, and now an interim title fight between Yan and Cory Sandhagen is set to take place at UFC 267.
Sterling recently told The MMA Hour that he knows he was losing the Yan fight, and the whole fiasco currently holding up the bantamweight division could have been avoided had Yan simply obeyed the rules.
Sterling Admits that He Was Losing Last Fight, Slams “Moron” Yan
“This whole thing could’ve been avoided. I hope the fans realize, the reasonable fans with a brain actually understand that this is all because of Petr Yan that the division is now in this situation, it’s because of him.
He could’ve won the fight, he was on the way to dominating, he was pulling away, he was beating my ass the whole fourth round. I still landed two head kicks and shot in before he kneed me in the head.
But, he was beating my ass, that’s a fact. This is all his fault because he’s that stupid. I’m sorry he didn’t abide by the rules, I’m sorry he’s a f*****g moron.”
Sterling had to pull out of the scheduled rematch against Yan at UFC 267 thanks to an ongoing neck issue. As a result, Sandhagen and Yan will compete for an interim title, the second time this year that an interim title will be awarded before the undisputed champ has had a chance to defend their belt.
Sterling is confident that, should he face Petr Yan again, the end result will be the same, but the route to get there certainly won’t.
“I really can’t wait to get back in there and smack the f**k out of him. I want to fight him but there’s going to be a point in the fight, where I’m telling you, I’m just going to slap the f**k out of him.”
Aljamain Sterling also took to social media to share his prediction for the fight. He expects Sandhagen to defeat Yan, which implies that Sterling also expects a title unification fight before he sees Petr Yan in the Octagon again.
“Morning session in the books! I will continue to push the body and rehab my neck. Sandman smokes Cheatr Pan in 2 RDS. Epic rematch to follow in December or early 2022. – Let them compete for 2nd place while I make sure my nervous system fully heals. Make all the jokes you want, I’ve done a lot in this sport and I’m not done yet! #AndStill”
Which way do you see the interim title fight going? Let us know in the comments.
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