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Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan took a shot at challenger Aljamain Sterling's striking skills on social media.
Yan and Sterling were set to battle for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 256 back in December 12th. The fight ended up being scrapped however, as Yan had to pull out of the bout in late-November due to personal reasons.
The two are now expected to face off in 2021.
To keep himself busy after the fight cancellation, Aljamain Sterling decided to return to his collegiate wrestling roots and face Penn State University star Roman Bravo-Young in an exhibition wrestling bout on December 22nd.
The bout came to be when Bravo-Young sent out a tweet trolling MMA fighters and challenging them to a charity wrestling match. Aljamain Sterling - a former NCAA Division III wrestler responded - and the match was set:
Aljamain Sterling even invited Petr Yan to check the match out:
"Hey brother @PetrYanUFC, I'm wrestling tonight. You can watch me on @TheRofkin app at 8pm EST. It's a very good show. Don't miss us," Sterling said, followed by 'See you soon' in Russian.
Yan responded to the invite with a not-so-subtle shot at Sterling's striking:
"Congrats, I heard you did well since there's no punches involved. See you soon."
Yan and Sterling have gone back and forth on social media in the past, and this is just the latest in war of words between the two top 135-pounders in the UFC. Soon, these two will get to settle their differences inside the UFC Octagon.
A head-to-head look at Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling
Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan and number one contender Aljamain Sterling will likely meet for the 135-pound title in 2021.
Until then, let's take a look at how these two match up:
MMA Record
Petr Yan: 15-1 (7 KO/TKO, 1 usb)
Aljamain Sterling: 19-3 (2 KO/TKO, 8 sub)
Winning Streak
Petr Yan: 10 straight wins (7 straight wins in the UFC)
Aljamain Sterling: 5 straight wins (5 straight wins in the UFC)
Notable Wins
Petr Yan: John Dodson, Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo (for UFC bantamweight championship)
Aljamain Sterling: Renan Barao, Pedro Munhoz, Cory Sandhagen (bantamweight title eliminator)
