Petr Yan wants a new opponent named — quickly — to fight at UFC 267 on Oct. 30 after defending champion Aljamain Sterling was forced to pull out.
Sterling was set to defend his bantamweight title but wasn’t given the go-ahead from doctors after neck surgery.
Yan (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) said he intends to fight in Abu Dhabi that day regardless.
“You all know what’s just happened to my fight,” Yan said in a video that was posted to social media, translated by RT Sport in Russia. “You all know that Aljo just ran away like a sneaky coward. Here is what I would like to say: I am not going to sit and wait for him. I am going to fight on Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi, and I would like to address the UFC. UFC, give me any fighter. Top five, top seven, top 10, anyone who deserves to fight for the belt, and I will get the job done. I’ll show you here who really is champ.”
Sterling won the UFC title in a bout with Yan at UFC 259 in March when the Russian was disqualified for throwing an illegal knee. Sterling had the surgery a month later for lingering issues not related to the March bout.
UFC is mulling creating an interim title fight for Yan and a to-be-determined opponent, per reports, which listed Cory Sandhagen (14-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) as the frontrunner to step in.
–Field Level Media