Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling Couldn’t Care Less If Petr Yan Doesn’t Get Title Rematch

Aljamain Sterling may not be satisfied with the manner in which he became UFC bantamweight champion, but he has no sympathy whatsoever for Petr Yan. In what will no doubt go down as one of, if not the single most controversial ending to a fight in UFC …

Aljamain Sterling may not be satisfied with the manner in which he became UFC bantamweight champion, but he has no sympathy whatsoever for Petr Yan. In what will no doubt go down as one of, if not the single most controversial ending to a fight in UFC history, Aljamain Sterling won the UFC bantamweight championship […]

Despite Controversy At UFC 259, The Bantamweight Division Has Never Been Clearer

Entering UFC 259, the big question already was: who gets the next bantamweight title shot? In the first of three title fights on the card, Petr Yan was looking to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against Aljamain Sterling. It was an int…

Entering UFC 259, the big question already was: who gets the next bantamweight title shot? In the first of three title fights on the card, Petr Yan was looking to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against Aljamain Sterling. It was an intriguing matchup full of trash-talking which hyped up the fight. However, […]

Henry Cejudo Announces Unretirement: “Triple C Is Coming Back!”

Former UFC double-champion Henry Cejudo appears to have just casually announced his unretirement to the world of MMA. Before Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in the Octagon after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, there was another in-cage retirement of a…

Former UFC double-champion Henry Cejudo appears to have just casually announced his unretirement to the world of MMA. Before Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in the Octagon after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, there was another in-cage retirement of a defending world champion last year. At UFC 249, Cejudo called it a career during his Octagon […]

VIDEO | Footage Of The Petr Yan Corner Before Illegal Knee

Petr YanPetr Yan lost his 135lb belt this weekend due to a disqualification. ‘No Mercy’ lived up to his nickname as he landed an illegal knee on Sterling, despite the ‘Funkmaster’ clearly having both knees on the canvas. This led to Sterling no longer being able to continue, which meant that for the first time in […]

Petr Yan

Petr Yan lost his 135lb belt this weekend due to a disqualification. ‘No Mercy’ lived up to his nickname as he landed an illegal knee on Sterling, despite the ‘Funkmaster’ clearly having both knees on the canvas. This led to Sterling no longer being able to continue, which meant that for the first time in UFC history, a champion would lose his belt via disqualification.

Daniel Cormier later revealed to viewers that Yan only threw the knee after receiving confirmation from his corner. ESPN MMA later revealed the corner footage, in which the cornermen seemed to be giving Yan a variety of confusing commands.

One cornerman can be heard shouting “just punch”, which would be completely legal. However, Cormier stated that Khabib Nurmagomedov could hear one cornerman shouting in Russian “Yes kick.”

Nurmagomedov himself was cornering a fighter that night, as his teammate, Islam Makhachev took on Drew Dober. Whilst Khabib was at the Apex, Dana White has revealed that talks about a potential return for ‘The Eagle’ once again entered their conversation.

Petr Yan has since apologised for the illegal strike and wished Sterling a quick recovery. A rematch between the two is likely to be booked in the near future.

What do you think of Petr Yan’s corner advice? Let us know in the comments.

John McCarthy Thinks Sterling Milked Illegal Knee: ‘It’s Called Business’

John McCarthyIn one of the most controversial championship fights in recent memory, Petr Yan was disqualified from his title defence against Aljamain Sterling after throwing an illegal knee. The subsequent fallout has seen the MMA community split in a multitude of different ways. One take is that Sterling overacted the subsequent knee to the head in […]

John McCarthy

In one of the most controversial championship fights in recent memory, Petr Yan was disqualified from his title defence against Aljamain Sterling after throwing an illegal knee. The subsequent fallout has seen the MMA community split in a multitude of different ways.

One take is that Sterling overacted the subsequent knee to the head in order to have the fight called off. On the Weighing In podcast, ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Josh Thompson seemed to follow this school of thought.

On a recent video released on the Fight CAT Youtube channel, the two MMA personalities broke down the events that took place. McCarthy actually placed some of the blame on referee Mark Smith for discussing the potential implications of Yan landing the illegal knee with the doctor, within earshot of Sterling. McCarthy had the following to say:

“I’m gonna get eaten up by some people, especially Ray Longo. But I’ve seen Aljo take some big shots, he’s a tough dude. When you look at that knee, and you look at that initial response. And then look at what occurred. I’m not sure that it was affecting him as much as it was coming out.”

“But once he hears I’m gonna get a win here, that’s money. I’m not saying he made a bad decision. It’s called business, and you’ve got to make a business decision. If that’s what occurred I don’t blame him.”

It is notable that last time Aljamain Sterling took a knee clean to the head, he was knocked out by Marlon Moraes. Regardless of how hurt he was, Yan’s actions were unarguably illegal and he was rightly disqualified. An immediate rematch appears to be the most likely next step for both fighters. However Sterling has professed that he would also be interested in a matchup with the former champ, Henry Cejudo.

What are your thoughts on John McCarthy’s Comments? Who do you see winning the subsequent rematch? Let us know in the comments.

Henry Cejudo Apologizes To Aljamain Sterling Over Criticism At UFC 259

Henry Cejudo has apologized over his criticism Aljamain Sterling. In the first of three title fights at UFC 259, Petr Yan was looking to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against Sterling. It was a fight many fans were looking forward to…

Henry Cejudo has apologized over his criticism Aljamain Sterling. In the first of three title fights at UFC 259, Petr Yan was looking to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against Sterling. It was a fight many fans were looking forward to, and early on, it delivered. The scrap was an exciting one, […]