Opening odds released for Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling

The opening odds have been released for the upcoming UFC bantamweight title fight between champion Petr Yan and challenger Aljamain Sterling.

The UFC officially announced this week that Yan will make his first title defense against Sterling in the co-main event of UFC 256, which takes place on December 12. Sterling has been waiting for his title shot even since submitting Cory Sandhagen back at UFC 250 in June, while Yan is fresh off of a vicious fifth-round TKO win over Jose Aldo to win the belt.

With Yan vs. Sterling now official, the oddsmakers were quick to release the opening odds for the fight. Here they are below, courtesy of BestFightOdds.

UFC 256: Aljamain Sterling (+160) vs. Petr Yan (-185) https://t.co/nYbOKQNeWY @PetrYanUFC

— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) October 15, 2020

UFC 256 Odds

Petr Yan -185
Aljamain Sterling +160

Yan opened as a -185 betting favorite. That means that a $185 bet would win $100. As for Sterling, he opened as a +160 betting underdog. That means a $100 bet would win $160.

Yan (15-1) defeated Aldo at UFC 251 to become the UFC bantamweight champion. The 27-year-old Russian is currently riding a 10-fight win streak overall including a perfect 7-0 mark in the UFC. In the Octagon alone, “No Mercy” has wins over Aldo, Urijah Faber, Jimmie Rivera, John Dodson, and Douglas Silva de Andrade, among others. Yan is in the prime of his career and a win over Sterling would solidify his standing as being so.

Sterling (19-3) is the No. 1 contender in the UFC bantamweight division. The 31-year-old American has been in the UFC since 2014 and has racked up an 11-3 record inside the Octagon since then. Sterling is coming off of the best win of his career to date as he was able to submit Cory Sandhagen in the first round of their fight at UFC 250. Overall, Sterling has won five straight fights including notable wins over Pedro Munhoz and Cody Stamann.

Who do you like at these odds, Aljamain Sterling or Petr Yan?