"That was my mistake" - Petr Yan reveals tactical error that cost him the rematch against Aljamain Sterling
Petr Yan may not be happy with the way judges scored his rematch against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273, but he does recognize the error he made in the fight that cost him his interim bantamweight title.
Yan and Sterling fought in April 2022, with 'Funkmaster' earning a split decision win off 48–47, 48–47 and 47–48 scores. In a new interview with Sambo Says, Yan discussed the defeat, saying:
"I know that I made the mistake in the last fight to allow him to get the back position, that was my mistake. That's his best position. From the back he has submitted almost everyone. I don't consider myself to be some type of elite grappler, but he couldn't finish me. I carried him on my back, all 165 pounds of him, for two rounds. I still could fight in the fourth and fifth round. I was able to change the situation."
Scoring for the fight was unanimous across the last four rounds, with the judges giving rounds two and three to Sterling and four and five to Yan. It was round one, a feeling-out affair with very little action, that ended up dictating the winner.
#UFC273 Official Scorecard: Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMasterMMA) vs Petr Yan
All Tonight's Scorecards: ufc.com/news/official-… https://t.co/Pmnj7F4wqW
Asked if he felt like he now needed to beat Aljamain Sterling after losing to him twice, Yan said:
"No, in principle, there isn't any desire to 'finish' anything or so on. I believe that my career already speaks for itself."
Watch Petr Yan discuss his second loss to Aljamain Sterling below:
Daniel Cormier lays out Sean O'Malley's advantages over Petr Yan
Petr Yan may be on a quest to regain his lost bantamweight title, but for now his next fight is against No. 13 ranked Sean O'Malley on October 22. While some fans are surprised that O'Malley accepted a fight against the No. 1 ranked Yan, Daniel Cormier believes it's a sound tactical match-up with elements that lean in O'Malley's favor.
In a new episode of The DC & RC Show, Cormier said:
"He feels he has advantages in certain areas. One, he's longer, two, Yan's a boxer. Sean O'Malley's a boxer, he's probably thinking to himself, 'This is the most manageable match up for me in the top five'... Another factor in this matchup that I wouldn't say it plays to Sean's advantage but it makes it a little bit better for him is that this isn't five rounds. We have seen Petr Yan start slow and then calculate his way through the later rounds and then dominate... You can't start slow in a 15-minute fight so maybe he takes more risks.
Watch Daniel Cormier discuss the O'Malley vs. Yan matchup at UFC 280: