The first title fight for the UFC 259 ended in a way that is not pleasing to both sides of the party. The fight was an exciting from the start through out the end, it would have been the best fight of the night but how it ended left fans disappointed.
The belt changed hands as Aljamain Sterling is the new bantamweight champion. Although he is the new champion, he was not happy as he did not want to win it the way he did.
The fight ended when Petr Yan landed a knee on Sterling on the ground which is illegal. Even the referee told Yan that his opponent was down, but he still threw the knee. It may be the language barrier that had played a factor but it was still an illegal strike at the end of the day.
Sterling wanted to continue but the damage was too much that he could not continue. He left the octagon crying, saying that it was not what he envisioned winning the belt. He also admitted that he felt he was down rounds but to his defense, the fight was not over and anything can happen.
Some details revealed that Khabib who was also watching the fight ringside, heard Yan’s corner yelling to throw the knee. It may have been his corner’s bad advice that led to his defeat but what’s done is done.
With regards to the scorecards, two judges gave Yan 2-1 score and one judge gave it to Sterling’s side of 2-1. Although in the fight, Yan had all the momentum and Sterling was looking gassed throughout the fight.
There were likely be a rematch since Yan was winning the fight but it was also his fault for throwing the illegal knee. Sterling may also want a rematch since he feels like he did not earn the belt the right away.
Not the way I ever want to win a fight. It was close, competitive and filled with action. I felt the knee was intentional, especially after the ref announced I was a downed opponent, so I didn’t expect to be hit.
Yan is a bad dude! WE WILL DO IT AGAIN!#UFC259— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 7, 2021
Do you think Yan threw the knee intentionally or was it due to some other circumstances?
