Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling rebooked, becomes third title fight at UFC 259
UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling are being rescheduled for UFC 259, becoming the third title bout on the March 6 card.
First reported by MMA Junkie, the 135-pound championship bout is being put together for the second time. Yan and Sterling were first slated to meet at UFC 256 in December, but Yan withdrew due to personal issues.
Petr Yan kept his unblemished record intact by finishing Jose Aldo via fifth-round TKO to capture the 135-pound crown at UFC 251 in July 2020. Yan is perfect in all seven octagon appearances since making his UFC debut in June 2018.
Sterling earned his title shot after rattling off five-straight wins. He most recently submitted Cory Sandhagen in under two minutes at UFC 250 this past June. The 31-year-old is 11-3 since joining the UFC in 2014.
His only losses came against Marlon Moraes, Raphael Assuncao and Bryan Caraway.
On the same night, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will look to claim the 205-pound strap from light-heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz in the headliner. The co-main event is a women’s featherweight title between champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Megan Anderson.
The location of the venue is still unknown, but the main card will air on pay-per-view with the prelims broadcasting and streaming on ESPN and ESPN+.
