On the heels of losing his bantamweight crown due to a controversial disqualification against Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan is once again holding UFC gold. Yan (16-2) had no problem dispatching Cory Sandhagen (14-4) by unanimous decision to claim the UFC bantamweight interim title at UFC 267 from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
Yan had trouble with Sandhagen’s range early on, peppering the former champ with combinations up top. Yan began to eat away with body shots through the first and second, and set up connections up top late in the second round. Yan continued his advantage through the third and fourth, chipping away at Sandhagen with massive shots. Every punch was powerful and by the fifth, Sandhagen
Before his loss to Sterling, Yan handed devastating knockouts to UFC legends Uriah Faber and Jose Aldo in back-to-back tilts. Sandhagen entered his showdown with Yan following a five-round decision loss to T.J. Dillashaw back in July. Before that bout, Sandhagen earned quality wins over Frankie Edgar and Marlon Moraes.
With the win firmly in his rearview, Yan can now turn his attention to Sterling, the reigning bantamweight champion. Sterling, who earned his shot at UFC gold following five consecutive wins, including a submission in June 2020 over Corey Sandhagen, has been clear that he’s ready to unify the belts in 2022 after his return from neck surgery.
