Aljamain Sterling responds to Petr Yan following criticism over DQ at UFC 259: “The fight was statistically close”

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling responded to Petr Yan following his controversial DQ at UFC 259, suggesting the fight was close.

Sterling and Yan put on a great fight for as long as it lasted. The first round was close, as Sterling was landing more volume on the feet until Yan dropped him with a strong right hand to take it back. In the second round, Yan appeared to be taking over with his striking, and it was the same thing in the third round. The judges had the fight 29-28 Yan, 29-28 Yan, and 29-28 Sterling heading into the fourth round. In the fourth round, it appeared that the tide of the fight was starting to change in Yan’s favor and that he would win.

However, Yan made a huge mistake when he landed an illegal knee to the head of a downed opponent. After the doctor ruled Sterling unable to continue, the fight was stopped due to DQ, and Sterling was ruled the new champion. Later that evening, photos emerged of Sterling holding the title, leading to Yan calling the new champ a “clown.” Sterling has now fired back on Twitter, telling Yan that he’s the clown. According to Sterling, it was a close fight, and Yan only has himself to blame for blowing it and landing the illegal knee.

.@PetrYanUFC please allow me to cleanly knee you in the temple, while you aren’t looking! See how much of a “clown”I would be then.

I can admit RD 4 you were starting to land more shots, but the fight was statistically close, despite me fatiguing early.

The clown here is you. https://t.co/gL2kWAupii

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 7, 2021

. @PetrYanUFC please allow me to cleanly knee you in the temple, while you aren’t looking! See how much of a “clown” I would be then. I can admit RD 4 you were starting to land more shots, but the fight was statistically close, despite me fatiguing early. The clown here is you.

According to the three cage-side judges, this was a competitive matchup, and it feels like the only way to fix the controversy is to book an immediate rematch between the new champion Sterling and the former champion Yan as soon as both men are ready to go. Although Yan deserved to be disqualified for landing the illegal knee, it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth of sports fans when a title changes hands on a technicality. A rematch has to happen so we can prove who is the world’s best bantamweight once and for all.

How badly do you want to see the rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan?