“If you’re so great, so win” – Aljamain Sterling reacts to Petr Yan not being interested in their rematch if he wins the interim bantamweight belt at UFC 267 

Aljamain Sterling is sick and tired of Petr Yan’s unrelenting jibes and trash talk. According to Sterling, his rival should focus on his upcoming interim title fight rather than taking constant potshots at him.

The current UFC bantamweight champion retweeted a report about Yan saying he’s no longer interested in fighting ‘Funk Master’ if he beats Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267 on Saturday.

“If,” Sterling wrote on Twitter. “You’re so great, so win Mr. No Mercy. Then talk about this after. Good luck to both of you guys. I look forward to the rematch with either one when I’m 100% healthy.”

In the end, Sterling kept his message friendly, wishing both competitors good luck. He was originally gearing up to defend the bantamweight title in a rematch against Yan, but was forced to pull out after failing to secure medical clearance.

Sterling’s latest comments came after Yan told reporters he doesn’t need to fight the American again to prove he’s the best. According to the Russian, it’s Sterling who needs a rematch to prove he’s a worthy champion. During the UFC 267 pre-fight presser, Yan said:

“Sterling needs the rematch to prove that he can do something. For me, I’m not interested in the rematch if I win the belt this Saturday.”

Catch the full UFC 267 pre-fight press conference below:

Sterling and Yan have been at odds since their controversial first fight at UFC 259 in March. The Russian was disqualified for connecting with an illegal knee that rendered Sterling unable to continue. As a result, Sterling became the first fighter to win a UFC title via disqualification.

Yan has since accused Sterling of making his injury appear worse than it really was. ‘No Mercy’ was ahead on two of the three judges’ scorecards before the bout was unceremoniously stopped.

Petr Yan recreates his illegal knee strike to diss Aljamain Sterling

In another attempt to get under Aljamain Sterling’s skin, Petr Yan recently recreated his infamous illegal knee strike during his UFC 267 open workout in Abu Dhabi.

‘No Mercy’ ruthlessly taunted his rival as he delivered a thunderous knee while hitting the pads.

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Yan will have a tough task ahead of him tomorrow as he squares off against No.3-ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen. The winner of UFC 267’s co-main event will presumably take on Sterling in a unification bout sometime in 2022.