"If you're fighting Yan, you better get your a** in the gym" - Casey Kenney discusses Aljamain Sterling's chances of retaining his UFC belt

UFC bantamweight fighter Casey Kenney has given his thoughts on how the 135-pound title rematch between current champion Aljamain Sterling and former champ Petr Yan will play out.

Recent footage has shown the Russian preparing for the rematch with some intense training. Aljamain Sterling, meanwhile, has been recovering from neck surgery in the country of Georgia.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's John Hyon Ko, Casey Kenney discussed the upcoming rematch between the two bantamweight elites, as well as the Instagram images of Aljamain Sterling appearing to be taking it easy whilst Yan is already in camp. He stated the following:

"He's having a good old time. Well he had surgery man, I'd be doing it if I had surgery too. Can't blame the guy there. But if you're fighting Yan, you better get your a** in the gym, that's for sure."

Catch our full interview with UFC bantamweight Casey Kenney below:

Casey Kenney on whether Aljamain Sterling's surgery will have an impact on his rematch with Petr Yan

Aljamain Sterling's surgery was not forced due to an injury sustained in the first fight with Yan, but rather to treat a long-running issue he has had with his vertebral column.

Continuing the discussion on the championship rematch, which is expected to take place at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi on October 30, Kenney is not convinced that Sterling's surgery will have a particularly positive influence on his next fight.

"You've seen a lot of guys come back from major injuries, major surgeries," said Kenny. "Pretty similar. I'm sure him himself, the doctors he's using and that type of thing, won't let him come back before he's fully healed. I don't know if that's going to actually help him. I don't know if the surgery ever fully helps your overall game. but maybe so if he had some major issues there."

After months of back-and-forth over social media, the pair look set to finally settle their differences at UFC 267 later this year. However, should Sterling's recovery force the fight any further back, Kenney believes that T.J. Dillashaw should be allowed to face Yan in an interim title fight, with the winner fighting Sterling once he is fully recovered.

"I think if Sterling waits, I'd run T.J. and Yan, and the winner get's Sterling... Have T.J. and Yan fight for the Interim if Sterling's still out for a little while."