Petr Yan has responded to what he seems to feel were fairly hypocritical comments from Jon Jones regarding the Russian’s illegal knee at UFC 259.
Petr Yan doesn’t sound like he has too mutch patience for Jon Jones, after the former light heavyweight champ commented on Yan’s illegal knee that cost him the bantamweight title at UFC 259.
It wasn’t the way Yan wanted to make history this past weekend. An illegal knee left Aljamain Sterling unable to continue, marking the first time a fighter has been DQ’d in a UFC title fight. Yan looked to be on his way to victory, but was disqualified after the infraction, late in the 4th round. All that leaving Sterling to be crowned the new bantamweight champion.
Jones congratulated Sterling for his win, and said the fight ending was not his fault.
Anthony Smith should have taken your title ??? https://t.co/5rKi3ZnOEL
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) March 7, 2021
“Aljamain came in great shape, he fought forward every second of that fight, not his fault he got illegally kneed,” Jones wrote. “Congratulations champion, you did it.”
This prompted a response from ‘No Mercy’, who said that Smith should have done the same as Sterling.
“Anthony Smith should have taken your title,” Yan wrote.
Yan’s response is almost certainly referring to Jones’ fight with Anthony Smith at UFC 235 in 2019. Jones dominated the entire bout, but was deducted two points for an illegal knee in round four. Smith was able to continue and Jones won a unanimous decision to defend his light heavyweight title.
Sterling has since received criticism about the fight, with even a few other fighters arguing that he faked being unable to continue after the knee. Yan has opened up as a heavy favorite ahead of a potential rematch.