T.J.
Dillashaw believes Petr Yan will
retain his bantamweight crown against Aljamain
Sterling, but he also says the challenger has a style that
could cause problems for the reigning champion.
The former UFC bantamweight champion gave his assessment of the
UFC
259 title bout during an appearance on “The Real Quick with
Mike Swick” podcast.
“I think it’s a tough fight for Yan because of the style of the
fighter. I think Yan’s the better, well-rounded fighter. He’s got
more of the skills and more aspects of fighting. But Sterling’s
wrestling is very aggressive,” Dillashaw said.
“[Sterling’s] striking is real uncomfortable. He doesn’t really set
anything up – he just kind of bombs kicks non-stop, kind of got
that distance. But then he can grab a hold of you. He’s got great
wrestling and his jiu-jitsu is amazing, too. I watched him take
[Cory] Sandhagen out in 45 seconds. We watched him do a lot of
great grappling in some of his fights. So I think it’ll be a tough
fight because I do think Yan, maybe his biggest weakness is his
wrestling.”
Dillashaw is elibible to return to the Octagon after serving a
two-year USADA suspension for EPO. Dillashaw has been a popular
callout since regaining his elibility, and he could be targeted by
Yan if the Russian is victorious at UFC 259. Although Dillashaw
favors Yan, he believes the champion can’t look past Sterling.
“He lost in the past to a guy that’s in Bellator just by getting
outwrestled, so we’ll see the gains he’s made in his MMA
wrestling,” Dillashaw said. “I would still probably put my money on
Yan just because he’s a little more well-rounded, structurally and
, on the feet. I think he’ll be able to keep the distance good
enough. But you can’t underestimate a tough-nosed wrestler. So he
can’t be counting his chickens before they hatch because he’s
trying to call me out, but he’s got to get past Sterling and stay
on top.”
UFC 259 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined
by a light heavyweight championship clash between Jan
Blachowicz and Israel
Adesanya. The main ever airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+.