Title tussle: Russian star Petr Yan to face Jose Aldo in UFC 251 main event on 'Fight Island'

Petr Yan's bid to become Russia's second UFC champion could be just a little over a month away, with "No Mercy" set to take on former 145-pound champ Jose Aldo for the vacant 135-pound title at UFC 251.

According to a report by ESPN, the UFC is in the process of securing a main event for their next pay-per-view to take place on July 11, with the potential Yan-Aldo bout understood to be near the top of the queue to serve as the event's headliner.

The UFC wants the fight to take place at the undisclosed "Fight Island," though this has yet to be confirmed with the fighters.

READ MORE: Yan's the man: Dana White says Russian star Petr Yan will fight Jose Aldo for the vacant UFC bantamweight title (VIDEO)

UFC matchmakers are also attempting to piece together a potential featherweight title rematch between champion Alexander Volkanovski and the man he dethroned, Max Holloway, while a welterweight title bout featuring Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns has also been discussed.

Yan and Aldo were announced as the two top contenders for the vacant UFC bantamweight championship following the surprise retirement of former champ Henry Cejudo following a title defense against Dominick Cruz. 

The Russian, who sports a 14-1 professional record (and a perfect 6-0 in the UFC), has signposted himself as one of his division's standout fighters since debuting with the promotion in the summer of 2018.

His most recent win, against Urijah Faber last December, suggested that the 27-year-old was ready for world title talk, and now finds himself in position to face one of the UFC legendary former champions for the vacant belt.

Jose Aldo's star isn't quite as bright as it was before Conor McGregor ended his decade-long unbeaten streak with one swing of his left hand in Las Vegas several years ago, but the Brazilian legend remains the most significant threat that Yan will have met in his career to this point.

However, the Brazilian finds himself in the unusual position of finding himself in a championship fight on the back of two successive losses.

The winner of the Yan-Aldo tussle, if confirmed, will almost certainly face Aljamain Sterling, the American contender who earned a sensational submission win against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250 last weekend. 

None of these fights are official yet, but with the event just a month away fights are set to be confirmed in the coming days.