UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will look to unify the division titles when he collides with interim 135-pound titleholder Petr Yan in the UFC 273 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event TONIGHT (Sat., April 9, 2022) from inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

Yan (16-2) refers to himself as the “undisputed bantamweight champion” on social media, ignoring the fact that Sterling captured the 135-pound crown by way of disqualification after “No Mercy” landed an illegal knee during their UFC 259 title fight back in March 2021.

In the wake of their controversial finish, Sterling was sidelined with neck surgery while Yan made his return against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267, winning the promotion’s interim title after five rounds of high-octane action.

Sterling, the current title holder, won the strap from Yan at UFC 259 last March in a controversial victory at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas.

Yan did a good job taking control of the previous fight in the third round, and appeared headed for a title defense. In the fourth round, Sterling had a knee down on the canvas, and Yan kneed him in the face. Sterling was unable to continue, and he was awarded the fight via DQ.

Sterling has rattled off six consecutive wins, with three of those fights ending inside the distance. That includes the DQ against Yan, and a first-round submission win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250 in June 2020.

Yan won the interim championship last time out over Sandhagen at UFC 267 in October, so this fight against Sterling will basically be a unification bout. That controversial loss for Yan was his only setback in nine fights at the UFC level. Four of his past eight bouts have gone the distance.

Sterling with ground control #UFC273 pic.twitter.com/zq1R47zIt9

— talbuc (@talbuc) April 10, 2022