UFC 259 on March 6 is set to feature three title fights with the recently announced bantamweight championship bout between Petr Yan and top contender Aljamain Sterling.
Per MMAJunkie, the long-awaited bantamweight title fight between Petr Yan (15-1) and Aljamain Sterling (19-3) is expected to take place on March 6 at UFC 259. The fight is a rebooking after Yan was forced to withdraw from a December 12 date with Sterling.
Bantamweight champion Petr “No Mercy” Yan is on a ten fight win-streak that includes winning and defending the ACB bantamweight championship in his native Russia and notching seven victories in the UFC. In the Octagon, Yan made waves with consecutive victories over perennial contenders John Dodson, Jimmie Rivera, and Urijah Faber in 2019. In 2020, Yan was previously scheduled to fight Marlon Moraes but the abrupt retirement of former champion Henry Cejudo led to Yan receiving a title shot against José Aldo in July. Yan won the title after an exciting contest with Aldo in which he stopped the former featherweight champion in the fifth round.
“The Funkmaster” Aljamain Sterling has quickly risen as one of the most entertaining fighters in the lighter weight classes in the past several years. Since losing to Marlon Moraes in 2017, Sterling has been on a five fight win-streak over some of the best bantamweights of the past few years. A veteran of the UFC since 2014, consecutive victories over Brett Johns, Jimmie Rivera, Pedro Munhoz, and others finally have him in title contention. In June, Sterling recorded the most impressive victory of his run in shocking fellow top contender Cory Sandhagen with a first round submission.
UFC 259 is scheduled to feature three title fights: the light-heavyweight championship bout between Jan Blachowicz against middleweight title holder Israel Adesanya, the featherweight championship bout between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson, and now Yan against Sterling. Though unconfirmed, it is expected that UFC 259 will take place in Las Vegas.
