Ex-bantamweight champion Petr Yan has delivered a chilling threat to bitter rival Aljamain Sterling ahead of their co-main event fight at UFC 273 in Florida this weekend
The Russian and the Jamaican-American have been entrenched in a feud ever since Yan was stripped of the 135lbs strap at UFC 259 in Abu Dhabi just over a year ago for delivering an illegal knee on a grounded Sterling which led to a disqualification.
The pair have constantly been back and forth on social media, with Yan accusing Sterling of play-acting to become the king of the division and exaggerating the extent of a neck injury for which he required surgery to get out of a rematch later in 2021.
Sterling has returned the favor by suggesting that Yan is a drugs cheat and hasn't been honest regarding his vaccine status, but they now finally have the chance to settle their differences at the Star Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on Saturday in their long-awaited rematch at UFC 273.
Should Yan have his way, though, he will take matters into his hand before the bout after previously being told that Sterling will "Will Smith" him.
"If we see his team, we kill [all his] team," he told reporters at media day. "Right now, not Saturday," Yan confirmed.
"I have not seen him, I honestly kinda want to see him just to see what would happen," Sterling later said in an interview when informed of the threats.
"I’m calm, cool, collected, so I go off the energy he’s gonna bring. If he thinks it’s gonna be on, I’m ready. I’m more than ready. I’m ready now and I’m ready Saturday."
"If you really wanna do something, I’m right here. I’m in the same hotel as you – you can find me. If you want, I can give you my room number," Sterling menaced.
Members of Sterling's corner on Saturday – namely ex-lightweight title challenger Al Iaquinta and bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili – have also waded into the row.
"He’s not going to do anything," Iaquinta, who challenged all-time great Khabib Nurmagomedov for the vacant 155lbs crown in April 2018, predicted to MMA Junkie.
"[The] fight’s on Saturday night and he’s got a lot to be worried about. He should leave the teams out of it … Bad idea. Aljo’s doing his thing Saturday night. Good luck."
"He made [a] big mistake," Dvalishvili warned. "Aljo will show him, Aljo will finish him. .. We [are] gonna let him fight first then we’re going to take care of him and his team after."
Featherweight prospect Ilia Topuria, who was recently involved in a hotel brawl with loudmouth Paddy Pimblett in London for insulting his countrymen, posted an Instagram story where he showed his willingness to get involved too.
"In his team, there is someone who I consider my brother," Topuria said of fellow Georgian Dvalishvili. "Therefore we are from the same team so I hope you behave yourself... we don’t want to crush your head. Thank you."
For Sterling, the second showdown with Yan provides the chance to eradicate all the controversy that surrounded their first meeting and will shut up detractors who felt he won the belt in a deceiving manner.
"[If] I smoke him, what are people going to say?" Sterling asked. "What are people going to say if and when I smoke this guy?"
"It’s a little sweet to stick it to people a little bit, kind of rub it in their faces. People did it to me. When I do it back, I hope people can take it the same way I had to take it for 13 months. I’m ready to just end this chapter and move on to the next one," Sterling finished.
Sterling versus Yan II will co-headline UFC 273, where Alexander Volkanovski makes his third featherweight title defense against the 'Korean Zombie' Jung Chan-sung.
Further down the card, one of the UFC's hottest up-and-comers in Khamzat Chimaev attempts to cruise further through the welterweight rankings for a shot at champion and current pound-for-pound ruler Kamaru Usman by making an example of Gilbert Burns.