UFC interim bantamweight champion Petr Yan is ramping up the mental warfare ahead of his rematch with official titleholder Aljamain Sterling.
Yan and Sterling will unify the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, FL, nearly a year after the two top bantamweights squared off at UFC 259. Sterling won the bout via disqualification following an illegal knee from Yan in the fourth round.
Tensions have continued to build between Sterling and Yan ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch. They were supposed to fight back at UFC 267, but Sterling pulled out with a lingering injury on short notice. Yan would go on to beat Cory Sandhagen for the interim title.
In a recent tweet, Yan had a bit of fun at Sterling’s expense and showed that there’s still no love lost between the two 135 pounders.
Check out Yan’s edited fight poster below.
After seeing Yan’s tweet just hours later, Sterling issued a response of his own.
“Bro, you lost!” Sterling tweeted.
Sterling has yet to defend his bantamweight title since earning the belt controversially in his first matchup with Yan. The two fighters have accused each other of delaying the rematch and have gone back and forth on numerous occasions on social media.
Despite Sterling being the current bantamweight titleholder, it’s Yan who holds a spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. Sterling will look to rewrite the script at UFC 273.
What is your prediction for Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2?
