Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan may be rivals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t respect each other.
Ahead of their respective bouts at UFC 280 on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi, bantamweight champion Sterling and ex-champ Yan crossed paths in Dubai and shared a cordial moment.
Yan, who meets Sean O’Malley at Etihad Arena, shook Sterling’s hand and the pair exchanged a few words. Sterling competes on the same night when he defends his title against T.J. Dillashaw in the co-headliner.
You can watch their encounter below courtesy of Sterling’s Twitter:
Trilogy 🍻 pic.twitter.com/qvY2a2BMnM
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) October 10, 2022
Sterling and Yan shared the octagon twice. Their first fight at UFC 259 ended by disqualification when Yan struck Sterling with an illegal knee. The unfortunate ending caused bad blood to ensue, and Yan accused Sterling of acting and faking the pain. The pair rematched at UFC 273, and Sterling silenced the doubters and used his grappling to win the fight.
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