"I will literally leave my corner in the backroom" - Aljamain Sterling open to fighting Petr Yan without his cornermen
Aljamain Sterling is tired of hearing about Petr Yan's corner not being allowed into the United States for their UFC 273 title fight on April 9th.
Due to US sanctions against Russia following their invasion of Ukraine, Yan's Russian teammates were denied visas to enter the country and corner Yan when he rematches Sterling for the bantamweight belt. Since then, Yan has turned the incident into a promotional tool, drafting Sean O'Malley and Henry Cejudo as replacement corners.
It's unclear whether Yan is serious about getting them licensed by the Florida commission or if this is just a publicity stunt. If he doesn't, Sterling suggested he'd go ahead and fight without a corner as well:
"I will literally leave my corner in the backroom bro. Just say the word! I just wanna scrap you already and move on to Needleshaw."
I will literally leave my corner in the backroom bro. Just say the word! I just wanna scrap you already and move on to Needleshaw. twitter.com/petryanufc/sta…
'Needleshaw' is Aljamain Sterling's nickname for TJ Dillashaw, who was stripped of the bantamweight belt in March 2019 after testing positive for EPO.
Aljamain Sterling is returning after a year off due to neck surgery
The first title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan at UFC 259 in March 2021 ended in controversy after Yan kneed a grounded Sterling in the head, resulting in a disqualification. Sterling was awarded Yan's belt, but an immediate rematch fell apart after 'Funk Master' scheduled a neck surgery to deal with neurological issues that impeded his ability to compete.
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling appears to be doing well after undergoing neck surgery earlier today in Los Angeles. https://t.co/EvBvTo7ARi
Another fight between the two was scheduled for October, but Sterling was forced to withdraw due to the lingering effects of the surgery. The UFC went ahead and booked Petr Yan against Cory Sandhagen for the interim bantamweight belt. Yan won that fight via decision 49-46 on all three judges' scorecards.
Now Aljamain Sterling hopes to vindicate himself as a champion and unify the UFC bantamweight belts with a win over Yan on April 9. Also on the UFC 273 card is a featherweight title fight between Australia's Alexander Volkanovski and Korea's Chan Sung Jung, 'The Korean Zombie.'