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Chael Sonnen is excited to see who will be crowned the undisputed bantamweight champion when Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan fight for the second time at UFC 273.
The two initially fought back in March 2021 in a fight that ended via DQ when Yan hit Sterling with an illegal knee. That move cost Yan the fight and his belt, which was unfortunate as the Russian was taking control of the fight in the third and fourth rounds.
Coming into the rematch, oddsmakers have Yan a heavy favorite. While Chael Sonnen isn't willing to outright pick Aljamain Sterling to win, he did suggest any cardio issues that may have impacted Sterling in the first fight wouldn't re-appear in the second. He said:
"If the only thing that you have to face is to make sure that your conditioning can hold up for the duration of the fight which is scheduled for five rounds, I think Aljo's in a good spot ... If anyone came to the conclusion that fight was getting pulled away in Yan's favor, even if you're right, that would be a conditioning issue. Between then and now is more than enough time for Aljo to correct."
Watch the full video from Chael Sonnen discussing Aljamain Sterling's chances against Petr Yan at UFC 273 below:
Sterling is also returning after a successful surgery to repair his neck, and has declared he's never been in better shape in his career. Across the cage, Petr Yan is coming off a dominating win over Cory Sandhagen that saw 'No Mercy' win via a 49-46x3 decision.
Given how skilled Yan looked, Chael Sonnen is right that it'll take more than just cardio for Sterling to earn a win.
Watch the full fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan:
Chael Sonnen has felony charge dropped in Las Vegas hotel incident
Chael Sonnen is no longer facing a serious charge of felony battery by strangulation. During a court hearing in Las Vegas, prosecutors amended their criminal complaint against the former UFC fighter and ESPN commentator, leaving Sonnen to face six counts of misdemeanor battery.
Sonnen was detained by police in December after an alleged hotel hallway brawl where he is accused of randomly attacking three hotel guests and multiple hotel security workers. Sonnen claims he and his wife took Ambien to help them sleep and they have no recollection of the incident at all.
The Las Vegas Review Journal states Sonnen's felony battery charge was dropped after Metro detectives reviewed the medical records of the victims and determined their injuries were 'not serious enough' to qualify as a felony. A lawyer for two of the victims told The Journal:
"My clients believe that a celebrity is getting favorable treatment.”
Sonnen will return to court on April 30 to face lesser charges.
