"The number one thing 135 pounds is looking for right now is parody" - Chael Sonnen on UFC's bantamweight division following Aljamain Sterling's win
![Chael Sonnen (left) and Aljamain Sterling (right) [Sterling image via @funkmastermma on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/04/885c3-16500183071151-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aljamain Sterling’s win at UFC 273 was less controversial than his first victory over Petr Yan. While it has still found a way to be a topic of controversy, a more interesting discussion is the state of the bantamweight division in the aftermath of the title fight. According to Chael Sonnen, the 135-pound weight class needs someone fresh.
However, due to Yan's domination in the last two rounds, many believe that he should have been awarded the decision. The popular consensus is that the Russian should receive another opportunity to dethrone Aljamain Sterling.
There is still a chance to see a third fight between the two fighters, as the 135-pound division lacks any other credible contenders. Sonnen believes that despite the demand for this scenario, it's time for someone fresh to get the chance.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster' said:
"The number one thing 135 pounds is looking for right now is parody. You’re only going to ignore 'Sugar' Sean and his beautiful record for so long... I think they’re looking for somebody fresh at 135. That’s the argument I’m making. You’re not going to ignore the Rob Fonts and Ricky Simones forever. But for today, I also don’t think that you’re going to draw them into the title fight.”
Sonnen also feels that a third fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will take place despite the Russian fighter losing the previous two bouts:
"You see where it appears that Sterling and Yan are not done with each other. Sterling’s not done with Yan because you guys are not letting him. All you gotta do is tell him, ‘Good job, congratulations champ.' The end. But for some reason, people don’t want to do that.”
The fighters met for the first time at UFC 259. The contest ended when Petr Yan threw an illegal knee strike, which resulted in his disqualification. Sterling was crowned the new champion in the midst of controversy.
The second fight took place at UFC 273 with Sterling winning again, this time via a split-decision. This brought controversy of its own due to the fact that two out of three judges scored the close first round for the champion.
Watch Chael Sonnen speak on the state of the bantamweight division below:
Aljamain Sterling took a jab at ‘Big John’ McCarthy for his opinion on the second fight against Petr Yan
John McCarthy had a long and storied career as an MMA in-ring official, having refereed fights since the second UFC event. During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy shared his opinion on the judges scoring the first round in favor of Sterling. The former referee felt that there was "no way" Sterling won the opening stanza.
It looks like ‘Funk Master’ took some offense to McCarthy’s words. During his interview with The MMA Hour, Sterling questioned McCarthy’s qualifications and claimed the MMA veteran didn’t know anything about the scoring criteria. What’s more, the bantamweight champion told 'Big John' to leave the judging to people who do it at a high level.
Watch Aljamain Sterling take a jab at John McCarthy below:
John McCarthy responded to Sterling’s critique by posting the following tweet:
Alright @funkmasterMMA I see that what I say causes you great distress. The fact that I don’t agree on a single round should not effect or impact your life in anyway. I said you fought a great fight and you did, congratulations. Name calling…really, champions are above that.