[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] is showing [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] no mercy after losing his belt to him in controversial fashion.
Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), who became the first fighter in UFC history to win a title by disqualification after taking an illegal knee from Yan at UFC 259, has received plenty of hate after he was seen posing for photos with the bantamweight belt on his shoulder.
After being struck with a knee to the head in the fourth round while he was a downed fighter. After the cageside doctor was brought in while Sterling was given time to recover, his advice was to wave the fight off and Yan was disqualified since the illegal knee was deemed intentional.
Although Sterling didn’t upload any celebratory images himself, teammates Al Iaquinta and Merab Dvalishvili posted photos that showed Sterling posing with the belt. The photos weren’t well-received by the public, including former champion Yan, who responded with the clown emoji.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMHT5SdJX9D/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Yan (15-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) continued to add fuel to the fire by mocking Sterling for celebrating with his team, posting a meme on Twitter.
https://t.co/xJboRWOTuy pic.twitter.com/yy6sLIkNm0
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) March 8, 2021
But the unapologetic Sterling, who was visibly upset to have won the title in that manner, explained his team asked him to do so and he was happy to oblige.
“You’re right Petey. I should’ve told everyone who flew out to Las Vegas, to not come to my house, to not say they were happy to see me, and to not want any pictures with me. – By this logic, I should’ve been locked in my room until my next fight. Makes sense.
“
You’re right Petey. I should’ve told everyone who flew out to Las Vegas, to not come to my house, to not say they were happy to see me, and to not want any pictures with me.
–
By this logic, I should’ve been locked in my room until my next fight.
Makes sense. 🤦🏾♂️ https://t.co/osePd2JKWS— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 8, 2021
“I didn’t win the @UFC belt the way I envisioned it, but I also didn’t do anything illegal. My friends and family flew miles to come see me and asked me to hoist the belt up as a champion, because I carried myself as such. If that offends you then you have no love in your life, and your own issues to sort out. I’m the “champ”, but I won’t personally feel 100% validation until I defend this the way I envisioned winning it, in the first place!
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Either way, I can’t wait to be cleared. The future is bright and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for my team and I.
Stay the course.
Make adjustments.
Life. Moves. On.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMJX0i_jeY-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
With UFC president Dana White confirming he plans on booking a rematch between Yan and Sterling, things are already heating up. Before the fight was stopped in the fourth round, two judges had Yan up 29-28 and the third had Sterling up two rounds to one.
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