Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling bantamweight title fight off UFC 256

UFC 256 has lost another championship fight.

The bantamweight title bout between champion Petr Yan (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and challenger Aljamain Sterling (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) has been scrapped from UFC 256 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas.

MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person with knowledge of the change following an initial report by MMA Island. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has not made a formal announcement. The person told MMA Junkie “personal reasons” for Yan led to the change.

A timeline for a rebooking of the fight is unknown, but Sterling posted Sunday that he hopes he meets the champ sooner rather than later:

Everything happens for a reason. I hope everything is good with you and your family .@PetrYanUFC We will settle our business when you can be 100% focused and ready to give the fans the best show we can.
See you soon.

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) November 22, 2020

UFC 256 recently lost a women’s featherweight title fight between dual champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Megan Anderson. Nunes was forced to withdraw from the card due to injury.

The UFC now is expected to have a flyweight title bout atop the card between champ Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. Both fought Saturday at UFC 255. Figueiredo defended his title in the main event against Alex Perez and Moreno defeated Brandon Royval to move into top contender status.

The latest UFC 256 lineup now includes:

• • Champ Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno – for flyweight title
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
  • Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. opponent TBA
  • Serghei Spivac vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
  • Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
  • Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker
  • Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Rafael Fiziev vs. Renato Moicano