Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will must wait a limited bit longer to personal his first title defense.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN reports that Sterling has been pulled from his scheduled bout in opposition to Petr Yan at UFC 267 on October 30 after he became denied clinical clearance by docs.
Sterling won the bantamweight title in March in controversial vogue, as Yan became disqualified for throwing an illegal knee. Yan gave the affect to be in full regulate of the battle and became on his formula to beating Sterling sooner than landing the illegal blow.
Sterling, who has a 20-3 document, then underwent surgery in April to handle a lingering neck effort, and he acknowledged he has no longer fully recovered.
“The cramping quiet lingers, which my surgeon acknowledged is thanks to the nerves quiet convalescing from the lengthy-term trauma, and surgery I ethical had,” Sterling wrote on Instagram. “Nothing I will attain about that, diversified than point to up in one other shell of myself and threat wasting the surgery and most most seemingly getting severely damage!!”
Sterling acknowledged he became before the whole lot hoping to battle later within the year but selected to accept the battle in October. There isn’t this sort of thing as a legit timetable for his return to the octagon.
“I before the whole lot wished to battle in December but the plans had been pushed up earlier,” Sterling persevered on Instagram. “Sadly, my physique is no longer with out a doubt agreeing with me and I requested for an extension and requested for Petr Yan to wait, so that I will be the first man within the UFC to beat his ass.”
UFC 267 remains to be scheduled for October 30 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. There became no legit announcement on the exchange to the cardboard, but the UFC is reportedly discussing the appearance of an period in-between bantamweight title in Sterling’s absence.
If an period in-between title is created, Yan will seemingly face bantamweight contender Cody Sandhagen. Sandhagen misplaced his most most modern battle in July to TJ Dillashaw by wreck up resolution, but Dillashaw is convalescing from knee surgery and would no longer be ready to compete at UFC 267.
