You won’t catch Aljamain Sterling sharing a beer with Petr Yan anytime soon.
Aljamain Sterling has continued to take aim at Petr Yan, this time criticising his actions outside the Octagon.
Before their title fight at UFC 259 in which Yan was disqualified for landing an illegal knee, things were already personal between the two top bantamweights. The fight only made their rivalry worse, with Yan claiming Sterling exaggerated the illegal strike to win the belt.
Speaking to reporters including MMA Fighting before UFC 264, Sterling expressed his distaste for the former champion Yan.
“He’s a sh-t talker – he’s not a good dude,” Sterling said. “F-ck that guy. He’s not a good guy. I don’t think he’s a good person. The guy makes fun of homeless people. He’s not a good guy.”
Sterling is referring to a video from earlier this year, in which Yan is seen mocking what appears to be a homeless man on the streets of Florida.
“I don’t hate anybody. At the end of the day, we’re all chasing the same dream. But when it comes to people I would like to hang out with and I wouldn’t mind sharing a beer with, I think he’s a pretty sh-tty person outside of the sport, and I think his character speaks volumes about who he is as a person and as an individual. For me, I know what it’s like to be at the bottom, and I’ve worked super hard to get to this position, so for him to do that to other people who he doesn’t know, he can go f-ck himself.”
Since their fight back in March, Sterling has been subject to his fair share of hate from trolls on social media. ‘Funkmaster’ believes Yan is the only man to blame for the outcome of the fight.
“I didn’t fall out of the sky and jump into a Dana White privilege opportunity to fight for a world title and get gifted with a guy who’s stupid enough to become the champion and not know the rules. That’s on him.”
The rematch between Sterling and Yan is targeted for UFC 267 in October but nothing is official yet.