"He wanted to make it political"- Petr Yan talks about the tactics Aljamain Sterling used to make his journey to the USA difficult

​

Petr Yan (left; image courtesy of Getty); Aljamain Sterling and his teammates with the Ukrainian flag (top right); Aljamain Sterling (bottom right) [images on the right courtesy of @funkmastermma Instagram]

Petr Yan has suggested that Aljamain Sterling utilized underhanded tactics to prevent him from entering the United States of America.

While the Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February this year, marking a major escalation in tensions between the two countries. The escalation has had major geopolitical implications.

Certain international sporting organizations subsequently implemented punitive measures such as imposing bans on Russian athletes. Furthermore, Russian flights have been denied entry into a few countries, while the Kremlin has banned citizens of “unfriendly countries” from entering Russia.

New York-born Aljamain Sterling recently posted a photo on Instagram featuring himself and a few others posing with the Ukrainian flag, asserting his support for the war-stricken nation.

Intriguingly, Russian ace Petr Yan has consistently maintained that Sterling didn’t want him to enter the US. Their first fight transpired stateside, and their rematch too is scheduled to take place on American soil.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Yan, who recently arrived in the US, indicated that Sterling intended to stir up controversy and get him banned from entering the country. Helwani notably asked 'No Mercy' whether he truly believes that 'Funk Master' didn’t want him to enter America. Responding via a translator, Yan stated:

“Of course, just looking at his statements before. Trying to make it political. Using the flags; smiling, standing with Ukrainian flags. He tried to make it political. And, yeah, I thought he didn’t want me to be over here in the United States. But now that I’m here, he knows that’s over for him.”

Watch Yan’s appearance on The MMA Hour below:

---

Robert Whittaker foresees Petr Yan defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273

Aljamain Sterling is set to face interim UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 273 on April 9. In an edition of MMA Pros Pick with James Lynch, Robert Whittaker weighed in on this much-awaited title unification bout.

Whittaker insinuated that Yan was in control in their first matchup at UFC 259 in March 2021. That was until the Russian landed an illegal knee that resulted in Sterling winning via disqualification. Picking 'No Mercy' to win the rematch, the former UFC middleweight champion said:

"Petr Yan has looked really good. That last fight he looked phenomenal. He looked like he was turning the tide in that first fight they had. So, I am gonna go with Petr."

Watch pro MMA fighters give their picks for the Sterling vs. Yan bout below:

​