Aljamain Sterling News

Harry Kettle - March 12, 2021

UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith has called out referees for needing to take more responsibility after the Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling fight at UFC 259 last weekend. As most of us know by now the Yan vs. Sterling fight ended in controversial fashion when “Funk Master” won the UFC Bantamweight Championship due to Yan being disqualified. Sterling was clearly unable to continue and the knee was deemed to be intentional, which is why the decision was made.

Cole Shelton - March 11, 2021

Petr Yan believes Aljamain Sterling is the real paper champion. In the lead-up to UFC 259 and Yan’s first title defense, Sterling was calling the Russian a paper champion. He didn’t think Yan had earned his way to the title as he did, and he planned on proving that inside the Octagon.

Adam Martin - March 11, 2021

UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra said he felt “disrespected” that Aljamain Sterling didn’t want to have him in his corner at UFC 259. Sterling fought Petr Yan for the UFC bantamweight title this past weekend and won it via fourth-round DQ when Yan made the bonehead mistake of illegally kneeing a downed opponent. In Sterling’s corner for that fight was his longtime coach Ray Longo and Xtreme Couture’s Eric Nicksick. Sterling grew up training with Team Serra – Longo on Long Island, but he recently started doing more training in Las Vegas. So when it came time to picking his cornerman for his title fight with Yan, Sterling had to make a choice, and he chose to leave Serra out of his corner instead of taking his longtime coach on the title journey.

Tom Taylor - March 11, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan has hit his latest opponent, Aljamain Sterling, with some serious accusations. Yan and Sterling met on the UFC 259 main card, with the bantamweight title on the line. Yan, who entered the cage as the champion, seemed to be in control through most of the fight, but ultimately blasted Sterling with an illegal knee to the head. When Sterling couldn’t continue, he was named the winner by disqualification—which meant he left the cage as the new UFC bantamweight champ.

Drake Riggs - March 9, 2021

As the new UFC bantamweight champion. Aljamain Sterling is already finding himself as a target for challengers – one of which is a former titleholder themselves. Capturing the title at UFC 259 via disqualification after Petr Yan landed an illegal knee, Sterling and the Russian former champ are expected to run things back as soon as possible. However, the man to hold the title prior to Yan, Henry Cejudo, appears to be seriously teasing a return to action.

Tom Taylor - March 9, 2021

The official UFC rankings have been updated after last Saturday’s stacked UFC 259 card, and as expected, there have been some significant changes. The biggest chances to the UFC rankings concern the men’s pound-for-pound list.

Harry Kettle - March 9, 2021

Aljamain Sterling coach Ray Longo has hit back at the trolls coming after the new champion in the wake of his win at UFC 259. Sterling captured the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday night after Petr Yan was disqualified due to an illegal knee he threw. In the wake of the event, with photos of Sterling holding the belt being leaked onto social media, many fans decided to throw a whole lot of grief at him and his team.

Drake Riggs - March 8, 2021

Petr Yan lost his title at UFC 259 – but it came at his own doing rather than his opponent’s. Yan dropped his bantamweight crown after landing an illegal knee to incapacitate the downed challenger, Aljamain Sterling, this past Saturday night. Since then, the community has been buzzing with many a thought on the matter. Among the names was the former light heavyweight kingpin, Jon Jones.

Cole Shelton - March 8, 2021

Aljamain Sterling wouldn’t care if the UFC decides not to book a rematch between him and Petr Yan next. In the first of three title fights at UFC 259, Yan was looking to defend his belt against Sterling. Early on, Yan dropped the challenger and was stuffing the takedowns and as the fight wore on, he was starting to pick the Russian apart. However, in the fourth round, Yan threw an illegal knee which ended the fight and he was DQ’d and Sterling became the new champion.

Cole Shelton - March 8, 2021

On the stacked UFC 259 card, three title fights headlined the event with one title changing hands although it being controversial. In the main event, Jan Blachowicz edged out a decision over middleweight champ, Israel Adesanya to defend his light heavyweight title. The co-main event saw Amanda Nunes submit Megan Anderson to defend her featherweight. In the first of three title fights, Aljamain Sterling became the new bantamweight champion after Petr Yan threw an illegal knee and was disqualified.

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

New UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling and former champ Petr Yan renewed their UFC 259 battle on social media the day after their fight. Sterling and Yan had an incredible fight at UFC 259, one of three title fights on the card. Both men had their moments in the fight, but it appeared as though Yan was pulling away late when he made a huge error and illegally kneed Sterling in the head while he was a downed opponent. Referee Mark Smith deemed the foul intentional and was forced to wave off the fight on the advice of the cage-side doctor, who said Sterling couldn’t continue. Yan then became the first fighter in UFC history to lose his belt via DQ (disqualification).

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

Petr Yan opened up as the clear betting favorite for a potential rematch later this year against UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Sterling and Yan put on a great fight for as long as it lasted, with both men having success throughout the first three rounds, and the fight was a tossup on the judges’ scorecards at that point. However, the fourth round saw Yan really start to take over and begin to hurt Sterling. He then made one of the worst decisions in a UFC fight ever when he kneed Sterling in the head while he was a downed opponent. Sterling defeated Yan via DQ after the Russian kneed him in the head illegally and the fight was called off by the referee.

Christopher Taylor - March 7, 2021

Former ‘champ champ’ Henry Cejudo has shared his breakdown of last night’s UFC 259 bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Sterling and Yan squared off on last night’s pay-per-view main card and the fight delivered as many expected. After a strong opening round for Sterling, the Russian champion seemingly began to change the tide in round two. By round four it appeared Yan was on route to a possible finish, however an illegal knee spelt an end to the fight and Petr’s title reign.

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC president Dana White reacted to the controversial ending in the Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling bantamweight title bout at UFC 259. Yan nailed Sterling in the head while he was on the ground with an illegal knee, leaving Sterling unable to continue in the contest. Though Yan was slightly ahead on the scorecards at the time of the foul, referee Mark Smith deemed the illegal knee was done on purpose and he disqualified Yan, which led to Sterling now holding the belt. It was a super controversial moment and call as it was the first time in the UFC we’ve ever seen a title change hands via DQ. Following the event, White spoke to reporters about the fight.

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

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.

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

Multiple pro fighters are accusing UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling of acting to take home the belt at UFC 259 against Petr Yan. Sterling and Yan met in one of three title fights at UFC 259. The two bantamweights went back-and-forth in the fight, but it appeared as though Yan was starting to take over in the later rounds. However, Yan made a huge mistake when he kneed Sterling in the head when his opponent was downed. After the doctor said Sterling could not continue, referee Mark Smith waved the contest off, declaring Sterling the winner by DQ. Yan became the first fighter in UFC history to lose his championship title off of a disqualification ruling.

Christopher Taylor - March 6, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 259 main card featured a men’s bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Petr Yan and top contender Aljamain Sterling. Yan (15-2 MMA) had captured the promotions vacant bantamweight title at UFC 251 after scoring a fifth round TKO victory over MMA legend Jose Aldo. That win had marked the Russian’s tenth in a row and seventh straight under the UFC banner.

Christopher Taylor - March 6, 2021

Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was clearly watching tonight’s 135-pound title fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259. Yan (15-2 MMA) had captured the promotions vacant bantamweight title at UFC 251 after scoring a fifth round TKO victory over MMA legend Jose Aldo. That win had marked the Russian’s tenth in a row and seventh straight under the UFC banner.