Photo | Aljamain Sterling is rocking a “Dagestani beard” ahead of UFC 273 rematch with Petr Yan

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling continues to ruffle feathers after giving himself a “Dagestani beard”.

In the lead-up to UFC 273, Aljamain Sterling is going all out in an attempt to get into the head of Petr Yan. “Funk Master” is the one holding the belt but given how their first fight was going before Yan’s disqualification, it makes sense for Sterling to do everything in his power to gain an advantage over “No Mercy”.

In the sport of mixed martial arts there are plenty of ways to do that, with Sterling opting to try and frustrate Yan so much that he fights emotionally in their April rematch.

His latest method, as seen via the following post, will likely be viewed as a controversial one.

Trying the Dagestani beard.
Now I eat everybody.
Smesh everyone!
Aljambib Stermaev!
•#AndStill #UFC273 pic.twitter.com/RqHQWkYIBp

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 13, 2022

“Trying the Dagestani beard. Now I eat everybody. Smesh everyone! Aljambib Stermaev!”

This kind of tactic could easily be interpreted as being quite insensitive but even if that’s the case, it probably isn’t going to bother Petr Yan all too much. The former king of the 135-pound division has his eyes set on reclaiming his belt, and it doesn’t feel like anything is going to really throw him off the scent.

This rivalry has already become pretty personal and that trend isn’t going to stop as we get closer and closer to fight night. They clearly don’t like each other and while they may respect one another as competitors, that isn’t going to stop them from trying to get the finish with the undisputed gold on the line.

What do you think of Aljamain Sterling trimming his beard to resemble a Dagestani fighter? Do you expect to see Petr Yan retaliate over social media? Who is the favourite heading into this contest? Let us know your thoughts on their feud and more down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!