Petr Yan of Russia suffers a major setback ahead of UFC 273 due to visa concerns

Petr Yan suffers a major setback ahead of UFC 273 due to visa concerns and will not be able to make it to his title unification showdown with champion Aljamain Sterling. 

According to Tass’ Igor Lazorin, the interim Bantamweight champion’s cornermen have had their Visa petitions denied by the US authorities. On the other hand, Yan is free to come and go as he has a three-year visa in the United States. Khabib Nurmagomedov could help his fellow countryman, according to Lazorin.

On April 9, 2022, Yan will face Sterling again at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. When the positions were reversed at UFC 259 in March 2021, the fierce adversaries met for the first time (excluding any interim gold).

Landing an illegal blow to Sterling late in the fourth round, which the challenger couldn’t recover from, resulted in a disqualification and title change for Russia’s first 135-pound UFC champion.

Sterling hasn’t fought since, as he had neck surgery after the victory. The rematch is the co-main event at UFC 273, now that both fighters have recovered and are ready to fight.

On the other hand, Yan fought Cory Sandhagen for the interim title at UFC 267 in November 2021. Yan would surge up as the action proceeded and secure a unanimous decision, despite dropping the first round on most people’s scorecards.

Yan’s (16-2) avenged his first loss to Magomed Magomedov in 2017 after their first meeting. Yan, who won both of his Magomedov fights, will want to repeat the same outcomes when he rematches Sterling. In his 18-fight career, “No Mercy” has proven precisely that.

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