Aljamain Sterling has given an interesting breakdown of Petr Yan’s fighting style, including a comparison that nobody likely had on their bingo cards.
Yan is in the midst of a strong career resurgence, having won three straight fights since a trio of defeats left him out of the title conversation at 135 pounds.
The former bantamweight champion was most recently in action at UFC Abu Dhabi this past Saturday, where Yan defeated Marcus McGhee on the scorecards to follow up his 2024 triumphs over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo in style.
Among those who were impressed by ‘No Mercy’ was one of his former opponents, who used a surprise comparison to explain what it’s like to face off against the Russian’s relentless style.
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Aljamain Sterling explains the difficulty fighting ‘boogeyman’ Petr Yan
Sterling knows Yan well, as they have shared the Octagon twice. Yan was disqualified after kneeing Sterling in their controversial first fight, before ‘Funk Master’ won via decision in their closely contested rematch.
Though he is no longer part of the division, the Jamaican-American still keeps a close eye on proceedings at 135 pounds, and he’s taken note of Yan’s recent work.
During an episode of his YouTube podcast, The Weekly Scraps, Sterling detailed why his former two-time opponent is so difficult to fight, drawing parallels between his forward pressure and horror villain Jason Voorhees’ pursuit of his victims in the Friday the 13th franchise.
“Yan is just here the whole time, going forward,” Sterling said. “You can hit him as much as you want, but then if you give him an opening where he can land a clean shot…he finds it over and over again with these guys. A guy like that, you’ve gotta knock him the f— out.
“I think Petr makes this decision every time he steps out there, ‘I’m gonna constantly go forward, I’m gonna walk you down, I’m gonna put these punches in your face, and when I land, I’m gonna make sure I’m landing with impact and some kind of authority.’
“He’s willing to put his chin on the line. I think that’s the most impressive thing about him,” Sterling continued. “He trusts that his defense is gonna be able to hold up so that he can land a better shot than you can. That is the difference.
“What would you do with this Terminator machine, Jason Voorhees, just walking you down, and every time he punches you, he just comes forward? … If you can’t neutralize him, he’s getting back up and he’s gonna be the boogeyman walking you down.”
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Aljamain Sterling sends shock wedding invitation to Petr Yan
Sterling and Yan were once bitter rivals, but with years having passed since their two fights, things have seemingly changed.
Their newfound respect for one another was on display earlier this year, when Sterling and Yan had a lighthearted spar while in Thailand to coach against each other on the Alf Global reality show.
And the pair are evidently on such friendly terms that Sterling has even invited Yan to his wedding.
“I said, brother, come to the wedding,” Sterling revealed on his podcast. “He said, ‘If I’m in the states, I will come.'”