Petr Yan is already a massive favorite to defeat Aljamain Sterling at UFC 272 this coming March and take home the undisputed UFC bantamweight title.
Remember, Yan and Sterling collided in a memorable matchup at UFC 259 back in March 2021. They went toe-to-toe for three competitive rounds before Yan started to pull away in the fourth. That’s when the Russian champion landed an illegal knee on Sterling and “Funk Master” was rendered unable to continue. Yan was disqualified and Sterling walked away with the bantamweight strap.
That was nearly one year ago and the rematch was just booked earlier this week. Sterling has been sidelined with a nagging neck injury while Yan returned to the Octagon at UFC 267 this past October to defeat Cory Sandhagen and win the interim bantamweight title. The two will finally collide again at UFC 272 on Mar. 5 in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed champion at 135 pounds.
According to our friends over at Bet Online, Yan is already a massive favorite to knock off “Funk Master” and reclaim his title. As of now, “No Mercy” currently sits at -310. That means fight fans will need to bet $310 on Yan to win $100. Seems like a fairly dangerous bet, but Yan has looked like a world beater ever since he stepped inside of the Octagon back in 2018.
As for Sterling, the current UFC bantamweight champion is a +260 underdog for his upcoming rematch with Yan. That means a $100 bet on “Funk Master” would net you $260. It seems like the better play as of now, but there’s no telling what Sterling will show up at UFC 272, especially considering he hasn’t fought in almost a year.
It will be interesting to say the least. All we can really hope for is that both fighters stay healthy so the booming bantamweight division can finally get some clarity at the top.