Recall that the fighters fought a championship fight at the beginning of 2021

Then Sterling won by disqualification of the opponent. As expected, Sterling was overestimated, and Ian did not experience any problems, destroying the challenger by the 4th round. The American was running out of strength, and Yang was just picking up the pace – this is his usual tactic in title fights. And when it seemed that the finish was close, Peter made a fatal mistake: he struck a forbidden blow. The champion hit Sterling in the head with a knee, not noticing that he was sitting on one knee. And in the UFC, it is forbidden to hit a fighter who has three points of support on the canvas.
Sterling stated that he was not ready to continue (many considered this to be a simulation) and he was handed the belt. Sterling refused an immediate rematch, citing health problems that had caused him to drop out for the entire year. Therefore, Yan had to fight for the interim title in October – with Cory Sandhagen. However, now Sterling is ready for a rematch.
“My last fight was against a tough guy, and we are going to meet again. That’s all that makes sense now. I hope we will split the octagon in the March tournament.I know Sean Shelby said the UFC is looking at three dates, February, March and April. I think April is too far away. March would be ideal. I’m already getting ready, ”Aljamein said.

Source: https://clutchpoints.com/ufc-champion-aljamain-sterling-reveals-when-he-plans-on-returning/