Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling were both quick to react to their long-rumored bantamweight title fight being made official.
Yan, the UFC bantamweight champion, will attempt to defend his title against Sterling in the co-main event of UFC 256 on December 12. News of this fight was announced by UFC President Dana White through Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.
Both Yan and Sterling were on Twitter almost immediately after the news surfaced.
See how the pair reacted to their fight being made official below:
Petr Yan reacts to Aljamain Sterling fight at UFC 256
No Mercy is back to bash big mouth @funkmasterMMA #abouttime https://t.co/FmchrJ6FH2
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) October 14, 2020
Aljamain Sterling reacts to Petr Yan fight at UFC 256
FINALLY! https://t.co/4WJDC59k9V pic.twitter.com/1tOuDBxIzk
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) October 14, 2020
#ComingOnThatThrone! pic.twitter.com/UHwQ4lzNbZ
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) October 14, 2020
Yan captured the vacant UFC bantamweight title with a TKO defeat of featherweight Jose Aldo in July, becoming the division’s new ruler after its former champ, Henry Cejudo, retired earlier in the year. Prior to his win over Aldo, Yan won his first six bouts in the UFC’s Octagon, most notably defeating Urijah Faber, Jimmie Rivera, and John Dodson.
Sterling, meanwhile, will enter this fight with Yan having last fought in June, when he picked up a first-round submission win over the highly-regarded Cory Sandhagen. This win brought his current streak to five-straight, as he’s also recently beaten Pedro Munhoz, Jimmie Rivera, Cody Stamann and Brett Johns.
The UFC 256 card will be headlined by a women’s featherweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes, who also holds the promotion’s bantamweight strap, and challenger Megan Anderson.
Who do you think will come out on top when Petr Yan attempts to defend his title against Aljamain Sterling in the co-main event of UFC 256 on December 12? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.