'It can happen to anyone' - Petr Yan remains unimpressed by Cory Sandhagen despite latter's stunning KO
Petr Yan will be defending the UFC bantamweight championship this weekend against Aljamain Sterling. One man who has been making his rise through the ranks of the bantamweight division is Cory Sandhagen. However, the reigning champion seems less worried about The Sandman.
During an interview with The Schmo, Petr Yan said that he isn't really concerned about Cory Sandhagen, given the fact that he was previously submitted by Yan's upcoming opponent.
The reigning UFC bantamweight champion also added that he feels Sterling is more dangerous than Sandhagen, solely based on the fact that he has a win over The Sandman.
"I don't really think about Cory because he lost to Aljo. And, because Aljo beat him, I think he is more dangerous than him."
Petr Yan also doesn't seem too impressed by Cory Sandhagen's recent KO win over Frankie Edgar. The 135-lbs champion reflected on the fact that Edgar has been knocked out before and feels it is time to move on.
"It can happen to anyone. Frankie been knocked out before, so for him, I think it's time to move on."
Petr Yan will be returning to the octagon at UFC 259
At this weekend's UFC 259 pay-per-view, Petr Yan will be defending his UFC bantamweight title for the first time since winning it. The Russian fighter won the vacant title at UFC 251 when he beat the veteran Jose Aldo and established his place at the top of the UFC's bantamweight division.
The challenger, Aljamain Sterling, has been on the rise, as well. The highly-ranked bantamweight contender is fresh off his win over Cory Sandhagen from UFC 250 and also has impressive wins over the likes of Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera. Funkmaster has been unbeaten in the UFC since 2017 and Sterling's last loss was against former title challenger Marlon Moraes.
UFC 259 will also feature two other title fights, as Jan Blachowicz defends the UFC light heavyweight title against Israel Adesanya. Whereas, Amanda Nunes puts her UFC women's featherweight title on the line against Megan Anderson.