"That last fight he looked phenomenal" - Robert Whittaker predicts the winner of Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan
Robert Whittaker recently shared his prediction for the upcoming rematch between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273.
'The Reaper' believes that Yan looked like the better fighter in their last fight and was turning the tide in his favor before being disqualified for an illegal knee in the fourth-round of the contest. The former 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 Robert Whittaker give his prediction for Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2:
Sterling and Yan previously faced off at UFC 259. Both fighters had their moments during the contest. However, the Russian started to establish his authority as the fight went on. Many believed he would have emerged victorious and retained his belt if not for landing an illegal knee that saw 'Funk Master' crowned the new champion via disqualification.
Watch Aljamain Sterling's post-fight interview after UFC 259:
Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling have started trading jabs on social media
Ahead of their second fight, both Yan and Sterling have begun exchanging words on social media. Yan recently took a shot at Sterling as he wrote:
"Just landed in USA, Alja’s prayers wasn’t answered"
🏼Just landed in USA, Alja’s prayers wasn’t answered 👊🏼
'Funk Master' took note of the comment made by 'No Mercy' as he replied:
I finally bury you twitter.com/PetrYanUFC/sta…
Many believe Sterling is the better grappler between the duo. However, much to everyone's surprise, Yan managed to score seven takedowns in their first fight at UFC 259.
Yan is clearly the better striker. He is the bookmakers' favorite to emerge victorious at UFC 273. However, Sterling has been a perennial presence at the top of the 135 lbs division. He has many wins against big name contenders in his UFC career so far.
It will be interesting to see who comes out on top as the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion at UFC 273. Alexander Volkanovski will also defend his belt on that pay-per-view card against 'The Korean Zombie'.
No.2-ranked welterweight Gilbert Burns and No.11-ranked Khamzat Chimaev will also fight in the event in Jacksonville, Florida.