UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan will seek the first defense of his 135-pound title when he meets Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 on March 6, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Both sides have agreed to the matchup, which was originally scheduled for UFC 256 on Dec. 12, but Yan was forced to withdraw then. The UFC has not announced a location for the UFC 259 pay-per-view event. MMAJunkie first reported the new date.
Yan (15-1) won the title in July, by defeating former featherweight champion Jose Aldo via TKO at UFC 251. Fighting out of Siberia, Yan has been perfect in the UFC. He holds a record of 7-0 in the Octagon, with wins over Jimmie Rivera, Urijah Faber and Aldo.
Yan is currently in Florida, to prepare for the fight at American Top Team in Coconut Creek.
Sterling (19-3), of New York, will ride a five-fight win streak into his first UFC title shot. The 31-year-old former collegiate wrestler has hit his stride in recent years, earning convincing wins over the likes of Rivera, Pedro Munhoz and Cory Sandhagen. He was the clear No. 1 contender in June, after submitting Sandhagen via rear-naked choke less than two minutes into the fight.
A light heavyweight title fight between current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and defending light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is scheduled to headline UFC 259.