"I won't take this opportunity away from him." - Petr Yan reveals what Jose Aldo has to do for a title shot and more (Exclusive)
Petr Yan has been waiting a long time to get into the position that he is in today. Yan became the UFC Bantamweight Champion at UFC 251 after a hard-won fight against Jose Aldo. The title was vacated by Henry Cejudo following his title defense against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 when the former retired from MMA.
Petr Yan faced the legendary Jose Aldo for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 251 and was able to win the fight via a TKO in the fifth round of the fight.
Now, it appears that Petr Yan might be set to face Aljamain Sterling next for his UFC Bantamweight Championship after Dana White announced that was the next possible fight for the Bantamweight title.
During Sportskeeda's interview with Petr Yan, he also talked about a potential rematch with Jose Aldo.
Watch UFC 253, featuring Israel Adesanya, on September 27, 2020, LIVE and Exclusive on Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 3 (Hindi) channels from 7.30 am IST.
Petr Yan on his next fight, fighting Jose Aldo, and more
AB: Given your stellar 10-fight win streak, you had already talked about facing Aljamain Sterling next. Why do you believe he is the right opponent for you?
PY: He proved he deserves to fight for the title, he is on a good streak. Some fans believe he will be the problem for me so I can’t wait to prove them wrong.
Beating a legendary fighter like Jose Aldo in your last fight via TKO is an extraordinary achievement. What do you feel about a rematch against Jose Aldo in the future?
PY: I never said no to the offered fight. I respect Jose and if he can put himself in the No. 1 contender position, I won’t take this opportunity away from him.
Training during the pandemic cannot be easy. Do you feel anything is missing during this time than one of your regular training camps? If so what?
PY: I believe all of us were affected in some ways, but we can adapt. I was training in my backyard, it was a good experience that helped me grow too.