Petr Yan reveals opponent and timeline for first title defense

UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan has revealed who his next fight will be against and when he plans to step back inside the Octagon for his first title defense.

After former bantamweight champ, Henry Cejudo announced his retirement from MMA following his successful title defense against another former champ Dominick Cruz, the UFC bantamweight title became vacant. The UFC booked a fight between Petr Yan and former featherweight champion Jose Aldo at last weekend’s historic UFC 251 card to crown a new champion. Petr Yan won the fight with a violent fifth-round stoppage, capturing the bantamweight gold.

Speaking to the media following his victory over Aldo, Petr Yan revealed that he will take some time off before returning to the Octagon and believes October will be the perfect time to get back and defend his title. (via MMA Junkie)

“I’m certainly happy to win this belt in such difficult times. It was my longterm goal. Everything went excellent. We knew it was going to be a tough fight, but I had everything perfect. I want to take a rest now, recover, go back to my homeland to see my family, and then it’s the work of my management team. In my first 18 months, I had six fights. I’ve never said no to an offer, so I’ll probably find out soon. I think October will be a perfect time.”

Petr Yan wants Aljamain Sterling next

Petr Yan also said that # 2 ranked bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling, who is riding a five-win streak inside the Octagon with wins over Brett Johns, Cody Stamann, Jimmie Rivera, Pedro Munhoz and Cory Sandhagen respectively, is the opponent he'd like to face for his first title defense.

“I think Aljamain Sterling deserves to fight for the title,” Yan said. “He’s on a good streak. He beat a lot of good guys.”