Petr Yan defends UFC 251 stoppage, says Aljamain Sterling should be next in line

ABU DHABI – It only took two years for Petr Yan to go from promotional rookie to UFC bantamweight champion.

Saturday, Yan (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defeated former UFC and WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo by fifth-round TKO at UFC 251. The fight was one of three title bouts on the pay-per-view main card.

“I’m certainly happy to win this belt in such difficult times,” Yan told MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference. “It was my longterm goal. … Everything went excellent. We knew it was going to be a tough fight, but I had everything perfect.”

There was much ado from viewers about the stoppage in Yan’s fight. Aldo was battered for a lengthy period of time, laying in a pool of his own blood, before referee Leon Roberts finally called off the fight. However, in Yan’s eyes, the referee did his job well.

“I think everything was right,” Yan said. “It was a championship fight between two warriors. Just not to leave any questions behind, the referee made that choice.”

From here, Yan said he expects to take a break to heal up and visit family back home in Russia. When the UFC comes calling, he’ll oblige their request. With the UFC aiming for a September or October return to Abu Dhabi, Yan sees that as an ideal timeline.

“I want to take a rest now, recover, go back to my homeland to see my family, and then it’s the work of my management team,” Yan said. “In my first 18 months, I had six fights. I’ve never said no to an offer, so I’ll probably find out soon. … I think October will be a perfect time.”

While he’s open to fighting anyone, Yan shrugged off trash talk from post-fight trash talk from former titleholder (and recent retiree) Henry Cejudo. Yan thinks top contender Aljamain Sterling, who has won five-straight fights, should be next in line.

“I think Aljamain Sterling deserves to fight for the title,” Yan said. “He’s on a good streak. He beat a lot of good guys.”

UFC 251 took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.