"The contract will be here soon!" - Aljamain Sterling suggests he will be defending bantamweight belt in near future
Aljamain Sterling has suggested that he’ll be defending his title in the near future. ‘Funk Master’ indicated that he’ll likely fight archrival Petr Yan, with whom he has unfinished business, in their long-awaited rematch.
Taking to his official Twitter account, Aljamain Sterling posted a tweet featuring images of himself from previous appearances inside the UFC octagon. Sterling’s statement in the tweet read as follows:
“Itching to compete! The contract will be here soon! #InDueTime #AndStill #UnfinishedBusiness.”
Itching to compete! The contract will be here soon!
•
#InDueTime #AndStill #UnfinishedBusiness https://t.co/gjtwMpVZjn
Aljamain Sterling’s most recent fight witnessed him become the new UFC bantamweight champion by defeating Petr Yan via DQ (Disqualification). Their fight transpired at UFC 259 in March of this year and saw Sterling become the first fighter to ever win a UFC title by way of DQ.
Then-UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan landed an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling in the fourth round of their title fight. This resulted in the Russian fighter being disqualified and losing his title.
The UFC subsequently booked a bantamweight title rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. The fight was expected to take place at UFC 267 in October. The fight didn’t come to fruition, however, as Sterling pulled out due to lingering neck injury issues.
The UFC proceeded to rope in Cory Sandhagen as a replacement opponent to fight Petr Yan at UFC 267, and the fight was turned into an interim title bout. Yan ended up defeating Sandhagen via unanimous decision and became the interim UFC bantamweight champion.
Aljamain Sterling and ‘No Mercy’ are now on a collision course to determine who is the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion.
🇷🇺 NO MERCY! 🇷🇺
49-46
49-46
49-46
@PetrYanUFC defeats Cory Sandhagen and becomes the Interim UFC Bantamweight Champion! 🏆
#UFC267 https://t.co/ZsLeUWOyC1
Aljamain Sterling believes he had an off night against Petr Yan at UFC 259
Considering the manner in which their first fight ended, the feud between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan has significantly intensified over the past several months. Both fighters have taken multiple jibes at one another.
The doctor has called off the fight after speaking to Aljamain Sterling, who was struck with an illegal knee by Petr Yan at #UFC259 https://t.co/oRLduQfraV
Aljamain Sterling has consistently criticized Yan for breaking the rules with his illegal knee strike. Meanwhile, Yan has alleged that ‘Funk Master’ faked being hurt by the knee and deceitfully took home the DQ win and the title. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Sterling insinuated that he wasn’t at his best in their first fight. He said:
“I come from a wrestling background... It just comes to that you hear a little bit of chirping and you want to shut the other person up and I can't wait for the opportunity to prove that I just had an off night [at UFC 259].”