"I didn't do anything illegal"- Aljamain Sterling explains why he celebrated his disqualification win at UFC 259
Aljamain Sterling won the UFC Bantamweight title in a rather unusual manner at UFC 259 against Petr Yan.
Petr Yan landed an illegal knee in round 4 which brought the contest to a halt. Yan was disqualified from the bout, paving the way for 'The Funk Master' to wrap UFC gold around his waist. Naturally, Aljamain Sterling was disappointed by how the fight turned out. His plans to become champion were obvious, but the result came in the least-expected way for the Jamaican-American fighter.
He made his disappointment with the sequence of events clear as he left the UFC Bantamweight belt on the canvas before exiting the Octagon. He did raise the belt later to signify that he, indeed, is now the Bantamweight champion. Almost immediately, he faced a backlash from the MMA community for celebrating his victory.
Aljamain Sterling took to Instagram to respond to those who called him out for celebrating:
Is a rematch next in line for Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan?
The fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 was a tense event. 'Aljo' displayed a great deal of adrenaline, movement, and swiftness throughout the first round. He did not seem to be bothered in regards to his constantly depleting gas tank. On the other hand, Petr Yan employed a more reserved strategy of patience, defense, and domination. The popular consensus was that Petr Yan was well on his way to winning the fight, given his precision, takedowns, and exceptional strategy to wear his opponent down and then thrash him.
In fact, the moment where Petr Yan executed the illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling occurred because Aljamain Sterling was on the ground due to the brutal punishment that Petr Yan had unleashed on him.
Aljamain Sterling is all-in for making his first defense of the title a bout against Petr Yan. Along with this, he also fancies a super-fight with Henry Cejudo if the opportunity presents itself.
Nevertheless, UFC President Dana White stated in the post-fight press conference that the rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will be taking place as soon as it possibly can.