The rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan is back on, lined up for UFC 272.
Sterling vs. Yan 2 was originally expected to take place at UFC 267 last October. A nagging neck injury in Sterling’s part saw the grudge match pushed back, however, and it now lands on the third Ultimate Fighting Championship PPV of 2022. UFC 272 takes place on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
MMA Junkie was first to report the new date for Sterling vs. Yan 2.
When the pair finally do meet, it will be in a rematch a year in the making. Sterling (20-3) originally challenged Yan (16-2) for the UFC’s undisputed bantamweight title in March 2021. The fight ended in controversial fashion when an illegal knee by Yan left Sterling unable to continue in the fourth round. As a result, Sterling won the fight via DQ — becoming the first fighter in promotion history to win a championship in that fashion.
Sterling would find himself under fire on social media after the fact, accused by some of playing up the damage he took from what was a clearly illegal blow. Yan, meanwhile, went on to face Cory Sandhagen for interim gold after Sterling pulled out of their October rematch. The Russian won the bout by unanimous decision, and has campaigned for the rematch ever since.
The following bouts have been reported for UFC 272 thus far:
Petr Yan vs. Ajamain Sterling
Bryce Mitchell vs. Edson Barboza
Jessica Eye vs. Manon Fiorot
Maryna Moroz vs. Mariya Agapova
Michał Oleksiejczuk vs. Dustin Jacoby
Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
Yan Xiaonan vs. Marina Rodriguez
