Aljamain Sterling suggests Petr Yan has benefits from “Dana White privilege”

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling suggested that his rival Petr Yan has benefited from the so-called “Dana White privilege.”

Sterling and Yan fought earlier this year at UFC 259 and the fight ended in a very controversial fashion after Yan kneed Sterling in the head while he was a downed opponent, leading to the champion losing his belt via DQ. Since the first encounter between these two, both men have spent the better part of the last few months talking plenty of smack to each other on social media ahead of a potential rematch. Sterling is currently on the shelf with injuries but the hope is that these two can rematch sometime this fall.

Speaking to reporters at UFC 264, where Sterling was a guest, “Funk Master” continued to take shots at Yan, this time criticizing the matchmaking he’s had in the promotion. According to the champion, he believes that Yan has had a softer schedule in the Octagon, and to quote Tony Ferguson, he believes that Yan benefits from “Dana White privilege.”

“He had a layup. That was the worst performance that I could remember in a very long time, and he had a slam dunk to bring it home and solidify everything and shut up all the critics for himself because he never fought anyone in the top five. I fought three guys in the top five,” Sterling said (h/t MMAjunkie). “I beat them all, but I’m the paper champ? It’s ironic, but at the end of the day, I think this is a blessing in disguise. I feel good, I feel healthy, and I can’t wait to just remind the world that what I’ve done was no accident and what he’s done, he got here with the Dana White privilege, and I can’t wait to shut him up.”

Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling that Petr Yan has benefited from “Dana White privilege”?