"My judgement was poor" - Aljamain Sterling claims a grave error cost him a first round finish in fight against Petr Yan
Aljamain Sterling recently uploaded multiple Instagram stories to his Instagram account reflecting on his UFC 259 bantamweight title fight with Petr Yan.
The 32-year-old claimed he made a grave mistake in the opening round. He asserted that he could've finished Yan in the first round had he avoided the error.
"Been doing my homework for a while now. Even while feeling like s**t, I got a key TD [takedown] but my judgement was poor. I gave up position to 'hurt' my opponent and it cost me a potential finish in the first round. The smart ones know what I can do when I'm on. I look forward to silencing the noise!"
See a screenshot of Aljamain Sterling's Instagram story below:
'No Mercy' was getting the better of Sterling for the majority of the fight before an unfortunate incident changed the course of the contest. In the penultimate round, Petr Yan landed an illegal knee on a downed 'Funk Master'.
Sterling seemed unable to continue and Yan was disqualified. The incident marked the first time a UFC title changed hands due to a disqualification.
Aljamain Sterling reacts to Petr Yan vs. Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267
Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan delivered one of the most entertaining fights of UFC 267 as they went toe-to-toe for five rounds for the interim bantamweight title.
'No Mercy' edged out a decision victory against Sandhagen, with all three judges scoring the contest 49-46 in favor of the Russian. The bout was also awarded Fight of the Night honors, with both fighters taking home a $50,000 bonus.
Current bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the five-round contest.
In a somewhat surprising move, Sterling praised Petr Yan's performance. He also claimed he would see the Russian soon.
"Brilliant fight men! I have it 48-47 for Yan. You earned this first a** whooping! Rest up and enjoy the work you did. I’ll see you soon!"
Brilliant fight men! I have it 48-47 for Yan. You earned this first ass whooping! Rest up and enjoy the work you did. I’ll see you soon! #UFC267
Yan and Sterling are expected to face off in a title unification bout sometime in 2022.