Tale of the Tape for Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling

UPDATE 12:10 a.m.: Aljamain Sterling wins via disqualification of Petr Yan due to an illegal knee.

In a bantamweight title fight on the main card of UFC 259, Petr Yan will take on Aljamain Sterling Saturday in Las Vegas as the opener for three championship fights.

The 28-year-old Yan heads into Saturday’s bout with a professional fighting record of 15-1 and is the champion of the bantamweight division. He is also ranked 10th in the men’s pound-for-pound rankings. “No Mercy” Yan last fought in July at UFC 251, where he defeated Jose Aldo by technical knockout in Round 5.

Yan has 10 straight pro wins going back to 2016, and is a perfect 7-0 in the UFC. His lone defeat came against Magomed Magomedov in ACB 32 on Mar. 2016. He would eventually beat Magomedov at ACB 57 in April 2017. The championship fighter lands 5.65 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy of 46 percent. At the same time, Yan also absorbs 3.15 strikes per minute, while he defends against them at 67 percent.

Yan can also grapple inside the octagon with a 1.73 takedown average per 15 minutes and accuracy of 53 percent. “No Mercy” shows no mercy with a stellar takedown defense of 87 percent.

Sterling enters the UFC APEX with a professional fighting record of 19-3 and is ranked first at bantamweight. “Funk Master” has won five-straight bouts, including his last fight in June at UFC 250. Sterling defeated Cory Sandhagen by submission in Round 1, giving him only his second first-round win in the UFC.

“Funk Master” has racked up 4.82 strikes landed per minute with 50 percent accuracy. But unlike Yan, he absorbs fewer strikes at 1.94 per minute, and defends them at 67 percent.

When it comes to grappling, the New York native has a 1.89 takedown average, with an accuracy of 29 percent. Sterling’s takedown defense is at 51 percent, while his submission average per 15 minutes is 0.99.

Here are the betting odds at DraftKings Sportsbook for Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 on March 6th.

Money line odds

Petr Yan: -110
Aljamain Sterling: -110

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