Sources — Aljamain Sterling pulled from UFC title fight due to injury
Written by Lucky Wilson | KGTO Writer on September 27, 2021
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has been pulled from his title defense against Petr Yan at UFC 267 on Oct. 30 due to medical reasons, per sources.
According to sources, Sterling (20-3) was denied medical clearance by doctors for the five-round fight. The UFC has not announced an official change to the card, but is discussing the creation of an interim title in Sterling’s absence, per sources. The UFC 267 event will still take place on Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Sterling (20-3) won the UFC title in March, when Yan was disqualified in the fourth round of their title fight for throwing an illegal knee. The 32-year-old underwent neck surgery in April to address a lingering injury he’d dealt with for years. According to sources, Sterling’s neck is still an issue and the reason he was pulled from the fight.
Yan (15-2) surrendered the belt in his first attempted defense. The Russian bantamweight won the belt by defeating Jose Aldo in July 2020 and appeared to be on his way to beating Sterling when he landed the illegal knee. Prior to that disqualification loss, Yan had won 10 in a row.
A potential option to face Yan for an interim title is Cory Sandhagen. The Colorado native lost a split decision to TJ Dillashaw in July, but was on the verge of title contention prior to that. Dillashaw would have been an obvious candidate to compete for an interim title as well, however he is still recovering from a recent knee surgery.
There is no timeframe for Sterling to defend his official bantamweight title.
