Alexander Volkanovski predicts the winner of Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan rematch
Alexander Volkanovski is backing Petr Yan to win his upcoming rematch against Aljamain Sterling.
The first fight between the bantamweight duo went down at UFC 259 last year. The bout ended in a controversial manner as Sterling won the title after Yan was disqualified for throwing an illegal knee strike.
During an interview with James Lynch, Volkanovski claimed that Sterling did look good in the early stages of his title fight against Yan. However, 'No Mercy' is the type of fighter that puts pressure on his opponent as the fight gradually progresses.
The reigning UFC featherweight champion said:
"Yeah, I've got to go with Petr Yan. Yan's my boy and I was watching that first fight, you know what I mean, obviously, Aljamain Sterling did well early, he still looked alright. But I mean, Petr Yan's the type of guy that, he will go there, he figures you out and puts that pressure on."
Volkanovski believes the rematch between the two bantamweights will be similar to the first bout. The Aussie is expecting Yan to start taking over the fight even earlier than he did during his first meeting with Sterling.
'The Great' added:
"I just believe that it will be an almost similar fight but I think Petr will start taking over even earlier than he did in the last fight."
Watch Alexander Volkanovski give his prediction for Yan vs. Sterling 2 below:
Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2 is expected to take place at UFC 273
At UFC 273, Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will lock horns for the undisputed UFC bantamweight championship. The pair were scheduled to fight at UFC 267 last year but Sterling was forced to withdraw from the bout due to lingering medical issues.
Instead, Yan took on Cory Sandhagen for the interim UFC bantamweight title. After an incredible fight against the top-ranked contender, the Russian came away with a unanimous decision victory to set up a title-unification bout with Sterling.
The rematch and bantamweight title unification bout between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will be the co-main event at UFC 273 🏆🏆 https://t.co/iLznR2B9TG
The Sterling vs. Yan rematch will be the co-main event of UFC 273. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski is slated to defend the UFC featherweight title against Chan Sung Jung. The event is set to go down in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Alexander The Great looks to defend his featherweight crown against The Korean Zombie at UFC 273 on April 9 in Jacksonville, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell told @marc_raimondi 👑🧟♂️ https://t.co/aJuWK5xtt2