Aljamain Sterling trolls Petr Yan with latest injury news: “Doc says back in 2023”

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling trolled his rival Petr Yan with his latest injury news, joking that “doc says back in 2023.”

Sterling defeated Yan at UFC 259 earlier this year via fourth-round DQ after the Russian was disqualified for throwing an illegal knee to the head of a grounded opponent. It was the first time in UFC history that a belt changed hands following a disqualification, with Sterling being crowned the new UFC bantamweight champion after Yan lost his belt. The two were then supposed to fight at UFC 267 in October in a rematch, but Sterling was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury. Instead of Yan vs. Sterling, the UFC called upon top contender Cory Sandhagen to step up on short notice. Yan ended up beating Sandhagen via unanimous decision in what was the “Fight of the Night” at UFC 267.

With 2022 fast approaching, the hope is that Yan and Sterling will be able to fight next year to unify Sterling’s belt and Yan’s interim title. However, it seems like Sterling keeps getting hurt and pushing the fight back. On Tuesday, the champ took to his social media to post a picture of him getting a cut on his lip fixed. He then joked with Yan that his latest “injury” would keep him out of the cage for quite some time, insinuating to Yan he’s back in 2023.

https://twitter.com/funkmasterMMA/status/1463192834194898949

3 stitches. Good as new. Doc says back in 2023.

“Just wait for me, bro!” https://t.co/B0AAixBwyE

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) November 23, 2021

“Just wait for me, bro!”

It will be interesting to see how the rematch between Sterling and Yan plays out given the bizarre way that the first fight ended. Hopefully, we actually do see this fight in 2022.

How excited are you to see the rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan, and who do you think will win the undisputed UFC bantamweight title when they fight each other?