Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling are going to be linked for a long time. The two unexpectedly became rivals after their bout back in March ended in a disqualification.

Petr Yan hit Aljamain Sterling in the head with an illegal knee and Sterling was deemed unable to continue. This in turn meant Sterling would win by DQ and he would receive the belt. Yan is still better about the way things played out.

“Of course, it helps to move on,” Yan said on The MMA Hour. “I know it’s called an interim belt, but in fact, it has all the functions of the real belt, too. When I get the chance and opportunity to beat up Sterling again, I will do it in a more dominant way to leave no doubts who the real champion is.”

They were supposed to rematch at UFC 267 but Aljamain Sterling was pulled from the bout after it was found he was not healthy enough to compete. Corey Sandhagen stepped up to face Petr Yan and the winner had the opportunity to become the interim bantamweight champion.

Petr Yan admits the fight with Aljamain Sterling is what needs to happen next. Even though he believes he already beat him.

“I understand now that it’s a bigger fight and people expect to see it again, even though I already believe I beat him up once,” Yan explained. “Once I sign the contract, I will be 100 percent focused to do it again.

“I’m going to hurt him real bad this time.”