The UFC returns to our screens for another action-filled pay-per-view event from Florida’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Top-ranked bantamweight contenders Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling will rematch for the 135 lb championship in the UFC 273 co-main event.
Read on for our complete betting guide taking a first look at Yan and Sterling, including updated UFC odds and our free expert UFC picks, predictions, and analysis.
Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling
UFC Bantamweight Co-Main Event Championship Bout
Saturday, April 09, 2022 – 07:00 PM EDT at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
Petr Yan
- Pro MMA Record: (16-2-0) (7 KOs, 1 submission)
- Age: 29
- Height: 5'7"
- Reach: 67.0"
- Trains With: Tiger Muay Thai/ RCC Academy
- Origin Fighting Style: Boxing
Russian-born, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan returns for one of the most highly anticipated rematches in the company’s history. And the main factor that’s drove intrigue into this rubber match was the fashion in which the first contest ended.
Yan delivered an illegal knee strike to a grounded Aljamain Sterling and subsequently lost his championship via KO. Most of the MMA community didn’t support the result, and to add more controversy to the decision, the fight's momentum was clearly favoring Yan.
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As a Master of Sport in boxing, mixed martial arts, and the owner of a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Yan is a complete martial artist who’s often regarded as the most talented and well-versed 125lb fighter on the planet.
Four years fighting under the UFC banner, Yan has a 7-1 winning record, with the only recorded loss resulting from the DQ decision that stemmed from his meeting with Sterling. The hype for the rematch has evolved naturally, and the MMA world cannot wait to witness the chaos for a second time.
Petr Yan Best Available Odds: -460 at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Aljamain Sterling
- Pro MMA Record: (20-3-0) (2 KOs, 8 submissions)
- Age: 32
- Height: 5'7"
- Reach: 71.0"
- Trains With: Serra Jiu-Jitsu
- Origin Fighting Style: Jiu-Jitsu
An 8-year journey fighting towards UFC glory has given MMA fans the pleasure of watching Aljamain Sterling evolve his skill set into one of the division's most entertaining and successful competitors. Unfortunately, his championship-winning moment lost a lot of significance in the manner it played out.
However, this doesn’t remove the ultra-talented abilities, and 5-win streak versus top-10 ranked fighters that brought Sterling to the big stage. Defeating former title contenders consecutively to then submitting Cory Sandhagen made the Serra BJJ product a noteworthy title challenger. Although his title obtaining victory is frowned upon, he’s still one of the world's best fighters.
Aljamain Sterling Best Available Odds: +366 at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Yan Fight Style and How Can He Defeat Sterling?
Switching in both stances, some of the most notable boxing technicalities in the UFC, and an effortless ability to cut the cage and backup his opponents is how Yan has found so much success. Combinations switching between 1-2 and 1-1-2 cause the opposition to back up, and he’ll unleash against the fence.
Yan’s approach needs to emulate the first fight, and although many call for a faster start from the Russian, this isn’t his style. Yan reads during the first five minutes; he masters the defense needed and allows his offense to be dictated by his opponent's flaws in the first round.
Sterling Fight Style and How Can He Defeat Yan?
Let’s not pretend that Sterling didn’t make a good account of himself during the first five minutes of the first contest. Pressure, combined with a mixture of offensive strikes, was a surprise tactic, but it worked. Often, Sterling would keep his distance on the feet and fight long, utilize the jab, and look for a high volume to win in the eyes of the judges’.
However, the high work rate seemed to slow Sterling down from round 3 onwards, so I’m not sure how he’ll balance a pressure-based blueprint whilst maintaining enough energy to survive five rounds – if needed.
Yan vs. Sterling Betting Prediction and UFC 273 Odds
The available odds at Bookmakers Review favor Petr Yan and we can’t argue the -460 pricing. Yan is known to read his opponent during the first round; then, his ability to adapt and unleash an elite-level of fight IQ is unleashed through a boxing-heavy presence.
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I expect we’ll witness a similar fight play out as we did during the first encounter, but Yan won’t make the grave mistake of getting himself disqualified this time.
Sterling won’t make it easy, and he’ll be out to prove a point, but I don’t believe he’ll find a way to keep a high volume once the fight wears on.
UFC Pick: Yan to Win on Points (+125) [1u returns 1.25u profit] at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
