Report: Yan-Sterling off UFC 256 card
The bantamweight title bout between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling at UFC 256 is off, sources told ESPN's Ariel Helwani.
Yan was forced out due to personal reasons, according to MMA Fighting's Damon Martin, and a new date for the fight has yet to be determined.
The Dec. 12 pay-per-view event will now only feature one championship matchup, as Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno reportedly agreed to battle for the flyweight belt.
There's hope that Yan versus Sterling could be rescheduled for as early as February, but no plans are confirmed, according to Martin.
Yan, the bantamweight champion, is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak, most recently capturing the belt with a TKO victory over Jose Aldo in July.
Sterling is also on a roll and has been lobbying for a title fight for the past year. "Funk Master" defeated Cory Sandhagen via first-round submission in June.
A lightweight bout between Tony Ferguson and Charles Oliveira is also on the UFC 256 card.