"I didn't know if the UFC would be happy" - Aljamain Sterling talks about being 'super depressed' after withdrawing from UFC 267 bout against Petr Yan

Aljamain Sterling (left) and Petr Yan (right) [Image Credit: @funkmastermma & @petr_yan via Instagram]

Aljamain Sterling recently revealed he was "super depressed" after withdrawing from his UFC 267 bout against Petr Yan. The UFC bantamweight champion had to pull out of his scheduled rematch against 'No Mercy' due to lingering neck issues that he is dealing with.

'Funk Master' recently appeared on The Schmozone Podcast to talk about his withdrawal from UFC 267. Discussing the delay to his first title defense, Sterling said:

"I trained my a** off and I just wasn't getting any results of what I wanted. I mean, talk about doing all those rounds, strength and conditioning work, early mornings and then going into sparring sessions and after one round of grappling and throwing strikes and your arms are just super heavy.

"I told the guys, I was like, 'Man, I don't know what's about to happen, I don't think I could pull out of this fight because if I do I'm gonna get a lot of s**t.' This is my personal opinion of what I'm thinking, I didn't know if the UFC would be happy. So I'm like I know it sucks, it's a big fight. You know they want to get the division moving, it's a hot division... that was the most down I've been in a very long time, super depressed because that's how much this sport means to me."

Watch Aljamain Sterling talk about how he felt after withdrawing from UFC 267 below:

Aljamain Sterling revealed that he considered not withdrawing from the bout against Yan and instead relying on his flying knee to end the fight quickly.

The 32-year-old went on to say that he felt like he was gambling his "quality of life" just to make the fans happy. Sterling believes he has made the right decision for the longevity of his health by withdrawing from the bout.

I love this and I live it! Sometimes I don’t think I have a life outside of this haha. twitter.com/mmarounder/sta…

Aljamain Sterling thinks Cory Sandhagen has a really good chance of "smoking" Petr Yan

Cory Sandhagen is set to face Petr Yan at UFC 267 on October 30. Having replaced Sterling, 'The Sandman' will take on the Russian for the interim UFC bantamweight title in Abu Dhabi.

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A post shared by Петр "No Mercy" Ян (@petr_yan)

Aljamain Sterling previously suggested that Sandhagen could secure a stoppage win against Yan. He believes the No.3-ranked contender will pick Yan apart from the outside and that Yan's 'peek-a-boo' style of striking will work against him when he faces Sandhagen.

'Funk Master' believes Petr Yan will not be able to outwrestle or outstrike Sandhagen at UFC 267. He also revealed that when he spoke to the 29-year-old, he told him that he believed in him and his ability to spoil Yan's plans for a rematch with Sterling.