Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling off from UFC 256
The UFC 256 pay-per-view has taken another major hit with the cancelation of Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling. After several weeks of back-and-forth, Sterling was finally given his rightful shot at the title. However, it seems that the top 135-contender will now have to wait a while.
According to an RT Sport News report, the bantamweight title showdown has been called-off due to Petr Yan's visa issues. Taking to Instagram, the news outlet claimed that the fight would be postponed to a later date.
Sources have claimed that due to Petr Yan's visa issues, the reigning UFC bantamweight champion will be unable to travel into the United States. Hence, the UFC has been forced to cancel the 256 title fight between the Russian and Aljamain Sterling.
The fight would've been Yan's first title defense. The newly crowned champion won the title at UFC 251 when he finished Jose Aldo to win the title vacated by Henry Cejudo. His opponent Sterling, on the other hand, has compiled an impressive run in the bantamweight division and was finally given his shot.
Here is the report from RT Sport:
As things stand, it is still not known when the UFC will re-book the bantamweight title fight between the two. However, given Petr Yan's visa issues, chances are that the fight could be shifted to the UFC Fight Island in January. The UFC is reportedly set to return to Abu Dhabi for UFC 257 next year for Conor McGregor's return against Dustin Poirier, and that card could surely use two of the best 135-ers crossing paths.
What's in store for UFC 256 after the cancellation of Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling?
The cancellation of the UFC bantamweight showdown between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling explains why UFC now wants to book Deiveson Figueiredo for the last UFC PPV of 2020. After Daico's impressive first-round win over Alex Perez at UFC 255, the reigning UFC flyweight champion is seemingly set to return to the Octagon next month.
For Figueiredo's next opponent, he is set to face Brandon Moreno. The latter was also victorious at UFC 255, and the flyweight showdown between the two promises fireworks.