UFC bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling’s highly-anticipated rematch with Petr Yan will have to wait a bit longer after Sterling withdrew from the bout at UFC 267 due to lingering issues with his neck and overall health and wellbeing.
Sterling has been on hiatus since controversially earning the belt against Yan at UFC 259 after Yan threw an illegal knee that disqualified him from the bout. Sterling has been recovering from the injuries he suffered during the incident and was set to attempt to silence the haters at UFC 267.
But things took a wrong turn in recent days as Sterling allegedly had issues with his training due to a neck injury that has remained an issue for a while in his career. After the news broke about his withdrawal, Sterling opened up in an Instagram post.
“Let’s clear the air today. I am NOT injured for my real fans, family, and friends that are asking/wondering,” Sterling said. “Training has been going well but I’ve been struggling to get my body to push past two rounds in sparring sessions. The fatigue that sets in and the cramping still lingers, which my surgeon said is due to the nerves still recovering from the long-term trauma.”
“Thankfully the [UFC] team understands how serious spine surgery can be and are allowing me the extra time to get my body right so that there are NO EXCUSES when I fight again.”
While Sterling is sidelined, Yan will compete for the interim title at UFC 267 against Cory Sandhagen, who is expected to sign on and replace Sterling. Sandhagen is coming off of a razor-thin loss to T.J. Dillashaw earlier this year.
Right now, the hope is that Sterling will be able to return to the octagon either at the end of 2021 or first thing in 2022.
What are your thoughts on Aljamain Sterling’s unusual reign as the UFC bantamweight champion?