Getty Aljamain Sterling grapples Petr Yan at UFC 273.
Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan addressed his controversial loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273.
On Saturday, April 9, 2022, Yan faced Sterling for the second time in hopes of getting the title back that he lost via controversial disqualification at UFC 259. That didn’t end up happening after the judges awarded the split decision win to Sterling, despite many people thinking Yan had pulled off the win.
Here’s what you need to know:
Petr Yan Says ‘Life Goes on’ After Losing Title to Aljamain Sterling a Second Time
Life goes on. Goal remains the same! Thanks for the support 😊✊🏼
On April 10, Yan took to Twitter to address the loss writing, “Life goes on. Goal remains the same! Thanks for the support”
Many fans commented telling Yan they thought he had won the fight, despite two of three judges giving three of the five rounds to Sterling.
“Great fight champ,” someone tweeted.
“you won round 2!! you got scammed,” another fan tweeted.
“You clearly won that fight. No doubt you’ll get your belt back soon,” another person wrote.
“Thank you, we know every fight there is a lot of greatness from you!” a fan tweeted. “Most important you fought with dignity and never broke character, great respect with the opponent after the fight as well!”
Dana White Thinks the UFC 273 Judges ‘Blew That One’ in Regards to the Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan Scorecard
Dana White says “the judges blew” the Sterling-Yan rematch and he “had it 3-to-2 the other way.”
Full #UFC273 post-fight scrum ▶️ t.co/ZHTPIF78ad
UFC president Dana White addressed the media following the fight saying that he believes the judges got the scores wrong.
“I thought that the judges blew that one,” White said. “I had it 3-2 the other way. I don’t know how you guys scored it. I guess it’s all in how you score that first round.”
After the decision was read Yan asked for a rematch and it seems that White agrees that it will happen, just not yet.
“Listen, that [third Sterling-Yan] fight’s gonna be there,” White said. “Petr Yan is one of the baddest dudes in that division. You probably do the [TJ Dillashaw] fight.”
Aljamain Sterling Is Eyeing ‘Dirty’ TJ Dillashaw Fight Next & Wants to ‘Slap Him Up’
Following the fight, Sterling called out former champion TJ Dillashaw who is returning from a PED suspension.
“The guy’s just been nonstop talking about me, talking about my heart and … the spirit of a fighter,” Sterling told media at the post-fight press conference. “The spirit of a fighter is someone who’s never going to give up, if you ask me, and I think I showed that this time. I think I showed that even in my worst night, which was my first performance against Yan. That was a shell of myself and he couldn’t get me out of there that night, and he wasn’t going to get me out of there this night, either. I showed what I’m capable of, and where my mental fortitude is at. You’re going to need a lot more than that to break me and make me quit in there.”
Dillashaw looks to be game as he tweeted to Sterling following the fight.
Well, well… congrats to @funkmasterMMA, COME GET SOME! 🖕#ufc273 #easymoney
Coming soon! 3X Bantamweight Champ 👊👑 #ufc273
“If anyone’s mentally weak, it’s that guy. The guy needed steroids and [performance-enhancing drug erythropoietin] to catapult his career, to even win as many fights as he did in the UFC,” Sterling said at the presser. “So his whole UFC tenure is tainted. So I can’t wait to punch him in the face. That would be somebody I would enjoy punching. He’s got good skill, but the guy’s a cheat, he’s dirty, and I’d like an opportunity to slap him up, and we can figure out who’s No. 1 again.”
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