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Aljamain Sterling doesn't just believe he beat Petr Yan at UFC 273, he believes he cracked the code on how Yan fights. Now many other fighters in the bantamweight division can follow that blueprint and give Yan trouble.
In a new interview with The MMA Hour, Sterling dismissed the doubters who thought he was going to lose badly. He said:
"People were saying 'Yan by anything.' This guy here? Who can't even find me in the octagon at all? I can potshot this guy whenever I want, he's too slow for me. I didn't even use my wrestling yet. I hit him with a step-in elbow. The guy's a punching bag. A punching bag that just waits for you to get tired, tries to corner you and then tries to bully you and throw punches."
Sterling listed a number of 135 pound fighters that could exploit that style, including Sean O'Malley. He said:
"If you have good footwork like myself, or Merab [Dvalishvili], or even [Sean] O'Malley, Dominick Cruz, T.J. Dillashaw, that guy is going to struggle with that type of fighter. Because those guys aren't going to sit there and exchange with him. Maybe T.J. is dumb enough to do that, because he did with Sandhagen and got his face punched in a bunch. But anyone with a brain that can assess a fight knows that [Yan's] path to victory is cornering you and trying to land a big money shot."
Watch Aljamain Sterling on The MMA Hour below:
While the second fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan at UFC 273 was a close split decision, UFC president Dana White has already dismissed calls for an immediate third fight. Instead, Sterling will likely face off against former bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw, who was stripped of his title in 2019 when he failed a USADA drug test for EPO.
Aljamain Sterling wouldn't be surprised if he fights Jose Aldo next
During a Weekly Scrap Podcast released on Aljamain Sterling's own YouTube channel, the bantamweight champ had another suggestion for his next opponent. Sterling said:
"I think T.J. is the fight. Aldo is on a much more impressive streak than T.J., so I could see the UFC reverting back to him. So I dunno, I'm not looking to fight any time soon. I need a break."
Watch Aljamain Sterling discuss Jose Aldo below:
T.J. Dillashaw's only fight since returning from USADA suspension was a controversial split decision win over Cory Sandhagen in July 2021. Following that Dillashaw was forced to the sidelines with a knee injury.
Jose Aldo is currently on a three fight win streak, deafeating Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font over the last two years.
