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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 16: Aljamain Sterling poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at Comerica Theatre on February 16, 2019 in the Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 16: Aljamain Sterling poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at Comerica Theatre on February 16, 2019 in the Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The current UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, will return to action against his nemesis Petr Yan at UFC 267 in October. In a recent interview with fightingalerts, Ray Longo confirmed the rumors flying around of Sterling facing off against Yan for a rematch, putting his title on the line. Subsequently, he gave a speculated date for the fight as well.
The first time when these two athletes locked horns was at UFC 259. In that event, Sterling won the title by disqualification in round 4 after Petr Yan landed an illegal knee to his head.
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Subsequently, Sterling underwent neck surgery for an unrelated issue. Now, he revealed he’s days away from getting clearance to get back into training and will be ready to fight in the fall.
Ray Longo confirms Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan II will happen
In an interview with fightingalerts on Instagram, Longo made the official announcement for the fight. “That will happen, yes. Late October, like October 30th,” Longo said on the podcast.
Ray Longo confirmed that Sterling vs. Yan II will be going down on October 30 at #UFC267!
He spoke to fightingalerts on IG. pic.twitter.com/Ffw3Ri9IoA
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) July 8, 2021
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Sterling spoke with MMA Junkie Radio earlier this week where he said that he liked the idea of the match. However, he revealed he is not comfortable traveling to the location for the fight. UFC 267 may take place in Abu Dhabi.
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CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 08: Aljamain Sterling reacts after the conclusion of his bantamweight bout against Pedro Munhoz of Brazil during the UFC 238 event at the United Center on June 8, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“To be 100 percent honest with you, I love the date, but I don’t love the location. Mainly because of the hours we would have to fight at. I just had one of my worst performances – maybe not the worst – but I had some hiccups on fight day because I didn’t realize how much into the day I fought. … It would’ve been nice to fight in New York or Vegas again. But Oct. 30, I’m good with that,” Sterling admitted.
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Both the athletes have not competed in a competitive battle since their last encounter. The second bout will surely give the impression of who is the better fighter between them. Who will you support at UFC 267?
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