The UFC has re-booked a bantamweight championship fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. Originally, the match was scheduled for UFC 256. But, Yan had to pull out due to personal reasons. Now, Yan vs Sterling will happen on a stacked UFC 259 card, featuring three title fights.
Yan vs Sterling Re-booked
Both Yan and Sterling were set to face each other at UFC 256. The match was going to be Yan’s first title defense since winning the vacant title against Jose Aldo at UFC 251. Unfortunately, Yan pulled out of the bout, leading fans to believe that he was injured. However, reports surfaced that Yan was fit for the match, but was unable to compete.
Now, MMA Junkie is reporting from a source that the bout has been rescheduled for 259.
#BREAKING: It's going to be a title-fight triple-header on March 6 as @PetrYanUFC and @FunkmasterMMA are set to clash for bantamweight gold. 🔥
News via @MikeBohnMMA & @mma_kings#UFC259 | Full story: https://t.co/l6c7VUpnnu pic.twitter.com/RzqFfUytNV
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 7, 2021
“#BREAKING: It’s going to be a title-fight triple-header on March 6 as Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling are set to clash for bantamweight gold. Fire,” wrote the publication.
UFC 259
UFC 259 is stacked from top to bottom. The addition of Yan vs Sterling will present the card with three title fights. The others are Amanda Nunes vs Megan Anderson for the UFC women’s featherweight title and Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya for the light heavyweight title. Here’s a look at the full main card currently:
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya (light heavyweight title)
- Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson (women’s featherweight title)
- Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling (bantamweight title)
- Aleksandar Rakic vs. Thiago Santos
- Dominick Cruz vs. Casey Kenney
- Drew Dober vs. Islam Makhachev
- Askar Askarov vs. Joseph Benavidez
- Sean Brady vs. Jake Matthews
- Randy Costa vs. Trevin Jones
- Aalon Cruz vs. Uros Medic
- Tim Elliott vs. Jordan Espinosa
UFC 259 will take place on March 6. However, the current location of the card is to be announced at a later date. It’s a possibility that the event will happen at the new Ethiad Arena on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
