Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan call for vacant UFC title fight after Henry Cejudo’s retirement

UFC bantamweight contenders Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan are fired up.

After UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo announcing his retirement at UFC 249, Sterling (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Yan (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) voiced their enthusiasm in an exchange on Twitter.

“Dana White you have two beasts, ready to put on (a) show for the vacant 135lb title,” Sterling wrote. “Peter Yan I know you want this just as much as I do. I am ready whenever!”

Within minutes, Yan responded, declaring his agreement in the terms Sterling laid out. “You know I’m in! Let’s do it,” Yan responded.

Sitting at the top of the UFC’s rankings, Sterling and Yan are both riding winning streaks. Sterling has won four-straight, defeating Brett Johns, Cody Stamann, Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz. Meanwhile, Yan has not lost since March 2016. In his UFC tenure, he’s undefeated with six wins including victories against Rivera, John Dodson, and Urijah Faber.

Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) defeated former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz by second-round TKO.

In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Cejudo, 33, announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

“I want to walk away. I want to enjoy myself,” Cejudo said, on the microphone. “Since I was 11 years old, I sacrificed my whole life to get where I’m at today. I’m not going to let nobody take that from me. So I’m retiring tonight.”

Check out Sterling and Yan’s tweets below:

UFC 249 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.