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This Saturday, October 30, will see two of the hottest prospects in the UFC bantamweight division go head to head to fight for a chance rematch unified champion Aljamain Sterling.
Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen have both faced Sterling before, with the New York-born 135-pounder putting a defeat on both fighters' résumé.
Dana White's bantamweight division was once one of the most entertaining divisions the organisation had to offer. Dominic Cruz was the king at 135 pounds for a long time before a thrilling rivalry between TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt took over the headlines.
But since Dillashaw's vacation of the title and Henry Cejudo's retirement, the division has escaped the public eye in its recent history.
However, as UFC 267 sees the clash of the dominant Petr Yan against the unpredictability of Cory Sandhagen, fight fans can expect a close, technical fight on Saturday night.
With his height and reach advantage, many believe Sandhagen holds the advantage on the feet. However, Yan is a technical genius in the Octagon, with notable wins over Jose Aldo, Urijah Faber and Jimmie Rivera.
Will Yan face Sterling again?
The common consensus seems to be that Yan will grind out a decision win before facing current champion Sterling when he returns from surgery, which is unlikely to be before 2022.
However, Yan has denied wanting to fight the champion again, claiming that if he beats Sandhagen, it should be Sterling that must prove himself worthy of the rematch.
"Sterling needs the rematch to prove that he can do something," said Yan. "For me, I'm not interested in the rematch if I win the belt this Saturday."
The pair were originally meant to rematch at UFC 267, but Sterling withdrew due to injury.
Sandhagen turns down Sterling
It is not just Yan who doesn't seem fazed by the rematch, however. Cory Sandhagen has also said he is not interested in facing Sterling again.
"I think Aljamain [Sterling] had to retreat," he told the media.
"I know that most of the public sees Yan as the champ anyway.
"I know that I definitely will have some making up to do, like I definitely still need to make up my two losses against Aljamain and TJ [Dillashaw] also, but I'll go home with a smile on my face, calling myself the champ if I win."