Yan: "I'm not happy that the fight with Sandhagen will be for the interim title"

Former UFC champion Petr Yan commented on his bout with Cory Sandhagen on Oct. 30 at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.

"Sandhagen is a worthy title contender. He's a dangerous, tough fighter and showed a great fight against Dillashaw. Yes, he lost the fight for a reason, but TJ is recovering from surgery, so they gave Cory a chance.

"Honestly, I'm not happy about the title being provisional, but that's UFC policy and I'm staying out of it. I'm excited to get out there and do my job. There's a lot of people waiting for my fight. I don't think about Sterling anymore, he's a coward. First I'll beat Sandhagen, and what happens next, we'll know after," Yan's said.

Yan was originally scheduled for a rematch against reigning champion Aljamain Sterling, but the American withdrew from the fight due to injury.