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Aljamain Sterling is the new UFC bantamweight world champion, and it happened in one of the most unimaginable ways possible. Sterling defeated defending champion Petr Yan by disqualification after an illegal knee in the fourth round of UFC 259 in Las Vegas. The result was not satisfactory, even for the winner after many entertaining actions.
Sterling quickly walked out of the door, lobbying with strikes and pullout attempts as soon as the opening bell. As Sterling continued to press, Yan patiently waited for the openings that would occur as the fight progressed. Yan displayed impressive grappling skills, with many expecting Sterling to be the toughest test the champion has ever faced in the grappling arena.
The finish came in round four, with Sterling clearly tired and Yan coming in strong, winning the toughest strikes and winning the few significant wrestling rallies. As Sterling tried to score an out, he was stuck on the ground and seen on the ground with one knee touching the mat. Yan then let go of an obviously illegal knee, crushing Sterling in the face and throwing him to the mat despite referee Mark Smith telling Yan that Sterling was a “downed fighter”.
After Sterling was checked out by the referee and doctor, he was determined not to be able to continue. As the foul was deemed intentional, Sterling took the victory by disqualification and the bantamweight championship.
The new champion was very emotional after the decision, crying on the mat before the decision was announced, and again after receiving the belt. Before leaving the Octagon, Sterling removed the championship belt from his waist and dropped it to the canvas.
“Everything I’ve worked for, man, so far? To make the fight go like this?” Sterling said after the fight. “I thought the fight was very close and I thought I lost two rounds. That’s not how I wanted to win. I threw the belt, man. I tried to keep going, but I was in. bad posture. It would have just been ego trying to keep going. “
Sterling is the first fighter in UFC history to win a championship by disqualification.
Adding some more intrigue at the end, although Yan appears to have established himself as the man with the momentum, Sterling was ahead 29-28 on one of the official scorecards after three rounds. Yan was leading 29-28 over the other two. The fight, before the stoppage, was still very much to be won.
During the UFC broadcast, new UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov said that one of Yan’s Russian-speaking cornermen told Yan to throw his knee, at what point the fighter unleashed the illegal blow.
Yan posted on social networks after the fight, apologizing for the illegal strike he claims he doesn’t intend to throw. “I made a big mistake and paid for it,” Yan said.
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