Petr Yan gave away his championship on March 6 with a senseless foul late in a fight he was winning against Aljamain Sterling.
On Saturday at UFC 267 inside Etihad Arena, he took the first big step toward righting that wrong. He outboxed and outfought Cory Sandhagen over five thrilling rounds Saturday, sweeping the last four to win a unanimous decision and win the interim bantamweight championship.
“We knew he’d be moving a lot, but our plan was to pressure him and beat him to the punch,” Yan said.