Sandhagen: Yan is a ‘more properly-rounded guy’, however Sterling ‘continuously unpleasant’ 

Cory Sandhagen has warned Petr Yan towards underestimating Aljamain Sterling of their upcoming championship rematch subsequent month.

Yan and Sterling share the Octagon all all over again, this time within the co-most valuable occasion of UFC 273 on April 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Area in Jacksonville, Fla. Following the controversial ending of their first battle at UFC 259, the promotion scheduled a straight away rematch. Nonetheless, it took exceptional longer to get to after Sterling could well perhaps moreover no longer receive medical clearance over lingering complications after neck surgical design. In his absence, an intervening time championship battle between Yan and Sandhagen became once created, which served because the co-most valuable occasion of UFC 267 this previous October.

Yan went on to defeat Sandhagen by technique of unanimous resolution, and a unification towards Sterling became once all however positive to be subsequent for the newly minted intervening time champion. As soon because it became once supplied as first rate, the online wait on-and-forth between the champions easiest intensified, with every males promising to leave any controversy at the wait on of to have a more definitive ending. Given how the first battle went, Yan has exuded self belief since then and acknowledged he would ‘beat the dwelling s—t out of’ Sterling, however Sandhagen urged ‘No Mercy’ to select the ‘Funk Master’ significantly.

“I ponder Sterling is continuously unpleasant attributable to he is such a fair grappler, and I ponder Yan is huge unpleasant attributable to he punches arduous as hell,” Sandhagen steered Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie. “I ponder Yan is probably going the more properly-rounded guy, however I ponder if Yan goes in pondering that he’s honest gonna crush him attributable to of the manner that the final battle went, I ponder that will be a astronomical mistake on Yan’s share, however I don’t ponder he’s that terrible of a competitor.

“I ponder that he’s gonna crawl in and attain if truth be told properly all all over again and no longer let the final battle impact him, and I ponder Yan is honest more or less a bigger all-around competitor also than Sterling is,” continued Sandhagen. “However that being acknowledged, Sterling’s a if truth be told fair fighter. He’s a if truth be told fair competitor and he’s a fair grappler, so there’s continuously that.”

Sooner than the unlawful knee that resulted in the disqualification, Sandhagen saw some vivid moments from Yan and Sterling. However the ‘Sandman’ has supplied a discover of advice for Sterling, who he believes could well perhaps moreover aloof a dinky adjust his approach.

“If I became once him, I would undoubtedly switch the tempo that I became once stopping,” acknowledged Sandhagen. “It became once a dinky bit chaotic, on the replacement hand it also threw Yan off a lot, too. That became once a undeniable that got here from that, however you saw within the later rounds that became once undoubtedly no longer going to be one thing that would have benefitted him in Rounds 4 and 5. I neglect what spherical he bought knocked out in, however if I became once Sterling, I would undoubtedly switch the tempo of the battle.

“I would no longer strive to construct it as frantic as he more or less made it within the first one and then if I became once Yan, I would doubtlessly attain the steady identical thing that he did within the first one attributable to if Aljamain slows down the tempo, that honest system that Yan gets to battle at a less chaotic tempo which I ponder Yan does if truth be told properly in. So, yeah. They every undoubtedly have some corrections to construct.”

Sandhagen has no longer fought since losing to Yan, however the No. 4 ranked bantamweight has begun preparing for a return to competition. He has focused former champions Dominick Cruz and José Aldo for a likely battle within the summer season.