UFC 259: Aljamain Sterling wins bantamweight title, throws it away as Petr Yan disqualified for illegal knee
- ‘Funkmaster’ cries in the Octagon after being unable to continue following illegal strike while he was ground in fourth round
- ‘I was trying to continue … but I was in bad shape, it would’ve been ego taking over,’ Sterling says
This one got messy. “No Mercy” is his fight name and bantamweight Petr Yan once again showed exactly why on Saturday night as an illegal knee in the fourth round to Aljamain Sterling cost the Russian his title at UFC 259.
The call was a disqualification for an intentional foul at 4:29 of the fourth round – and a new champion was thus crowned – at a stage in the fight when Yan (15-2) had assumed control.
There was no doubt Yan’s move was illegal, and that Sterling at the time it was thrown was down on one knee. But Sterling (20-3) took the belt, through tears, and he threw it on the ground.
It was the first time in UFC history that a championship fight had ended that way.
“Everything I’ve worked for, man, and to have the fight go like that,” said the 31-year-old before being taken off for the doctor’s appraisal.
“I thought the fight was very close. I thought I was down two rounds [to one]. That’s not the way I wanted to win. That’s not the way I envisaged this. I was trying to continue, even f***** up like that. I was in bad shape and it would have been just ego taking over just to get further punched in the fifth. The ref told me I was down.”