LAS VEGAS, March 3. /TASS/. Russia’s UFC champion in bantamweight division Petr Yan has restricted all physical contacts as a safety measure against the novel coronavirus before his title defense bout in the United States this weekend, his manager Sayat Abdrakhmanov told TASS on Wednesday.

Yan is set to fight Aljamain Sterling of the United States in the bantamweight category on March 6 in Las Vegas at the UFC 259 event.

"We have opted for a complete isolation to avoid all possible risks," Abdrakhmanov said.

"This is because only a single positive [COVID-19] test of any member of his team can serve as a reason for the cancellation of the bout," Yan’s manager added.

Aljaiman ‘Funk Master’ Sterling, 31, holds a record of 19 wins (two by KO/TKO, eight by submission and nine by decision) and three defeats.

Russia’s 28-year-old Yan, nicknamed ‘No Mercy,’ won the UFC bantamweight champion’s title on the night of July 11, 2020 after defeating Brazil’s Jose ‘Junior’ Aldo with a technical knockout in the 5th round.

The Russian fighter from the Urals city of Yekaterinburg enjoys a record of 15 wins (seven by KO/TKO, one by submission and seven by decision) and one defeat. The UFC bantamweight title became vacant after American MMA fighter Henry Cejudo ended his career. The Olympic champion made this decision in May 2020 after defeating American Dominick Cruz.

Yan is the second Russian to win the UFC champion’s belt. Russia’s Khabib Nurmagomedov, hailing from Dagestan, has been retaining the UFC lightweight champion title since April 2018 and boasts an unblemished record of 29 wins in all of his mixed martial arts fights (8 by KOs, 11 by submission and 10 by decision). Last year, Khabib announced his retirement.

The UFC (the Ultimate Fighting Championship) is the largest MMA (mixed martial arts) promotion event around the globe featuring world’s top-rank fighters. Many Russians are participating in the UFC competitions.