Petr Yan

Aljamain Sterling vowed to Petr Yan that their rematch would be a different fight. Well, it wasn't just talk. Sterling scored a pivotal takedown in each of ...

But in the end, judges gave the nod to "Funk Master," who proceeded to shoot his shot to 50 Cent for an acting role on the television show "Power" and call out T.J. Dillashaw who flipped the champion the middle finger from the crowd. Sterling scored a pivotal takedown in each of the second and third rounds to help power a split-decision victory over Yan to be crowned the undisputed bantamweight champion of the world at UFC 273. Judges at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday night scored it 48-47 Sterling, 47-48 Yan and 48-47 Sterling to give him the close win in the co-main event of the pay-per-view.

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (21-3) collided against interim champ Petr Yan (16-3) in a long-awaited title unification rematch at the VyStar ...

He threw a punch or two in the middle but he is now full-blown spamming takedowns and Yan is sprawling them all. Yan postures up finally and lands a wicked right hand but Sterling rolls and now it’s Yan back on the rear waist lock. He tries to break the lock and roll but Sterling is a master from here. Yan gets to the fence and Sterling just holding position, looking for the chance to get the takedown. Yan has Sterling’s back against the fence but this is bad news and Sterling is playing the backpack. Yan fighting hands and Sterling appears to be talking to him. And Sterling is on the back now! His landing to the body well here, and Yan is still marching him down. Sterling never stops moving and he’s doing a good job of feinting takedowns but Yan lands a big left hand during a tie up as the round ends. Yan rushes forward but whiffs on all of them as Sterling ducks under and comes back with his own big shots that Yan ducks in turn. Sterling looking composed in there and shoots a double from distance that Yan sprawls out. Round 1: Yan out in orthodox while Sterling is in southpaw.

Aljamain Sterling defeated Petr Yan via split decision at UFC 273. On Twitter, pro fighters reacted to the bout.

anyways congrats— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) @funkmasterMMAyou listen to my plan. And you guys think these guys are at my level. In a title unification bout against interim champ Petr Yan, the ‘Funkmaster’ used his grappling prowess to nullify his opponent’s striking and did enough to convince two out of three judges.

At UFC 273, Aljamain Sterling retained his title in a rematch vs. Petr Yan. This time, the fight ended in a more traditional fashion.

After a successful first round for Sterling, the tempo shifted in Yan’s favor. With his UFC 259 disqualification aside, Yan’s only other loss came under the ACB banner in 2016 – a controversial split decision defeat to now-Bellator bantamweight contender Magomed Magomedov. Sterling tried and tried again but couldn’t get Yan down. There, he landed some shots before he clinched up and finished the round in controlling position. For the entirety of the round, Sterling suffocated Yan in the backpack position. The bout took place at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

See the top Twitter reactions to Aljamain Sterling's title defense against Petr Yan in the UFC 273 co-main event.

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Two judges Saturday scored the 135-pound title fight 48-47 for Aljamain Sterling, while a third had it 48-47 for Petr Yan.

Dillashaw was in attendance for the fight in Florida. He returned from his suspension last July and beat Cory Sandhagen via decision. He also spent a good deal of time in top position himself during the fourth round. "I had it 3-2 the other way. He began stuffing takedowns and making Sterling pay for the failed attempts. Sterling, of Long Island, New York, clearly won the second and third rounds, as he managed to take Yan down and immediately take his back. He beat my ass the first fight.

Check out the official scorecard for the UFC 273 co-main event between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan.

Sterling unified the bantamweight title and improved his record to 21-3 after an extended layoff due to a lingering neck injury that required surgery. Judges Eliseo Rodriguez and Sal D’Amato both credited Sterling with the first three rounds, awarding 10-9 scores while scoring Round 4 and Round 5 for Yan by the same tally. Notable on the three judges’ scorecards is the absence of 10-8 scores, which many MMA observers debated after Sterling’s performance in Rounds 2 and 3.

Sterling took control of the fight early on the ground and never looked back as he exorcised his demons.

"I think I won three rounds of the fight. Yan was much busier to open Round 4 and not only was he much better at keeping his back off the ground, his quick transitions out of trouble led to some sequences of big strikes from top position. Yan, 29, appeared lucky to get out of the second round after Sterling, who was relentless in pursuit of takedowns, pulled Yan down and instantly took his back. "I think I won this fight and I got robbed," Yan said through a translator. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including instant reaction at the conclusion of the PPV event on Saturday night. People wrote me off because of my last performance, but that was a big hiccup," Sterling said.

Check out Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan full fight video to see the memorable first encounter between the bantamweight stars.

That made Sterling the first UFC champion to win via disqualification. More than one year after that fateful day, the bantamweight rivals meet again to settle the score. Watch Aljamain Sterling vs.

A little over a year from their first encounter that ended in a DQ, Aljamain Sterling proves to be king of the bantamweight at UFC 273 by beating Petr Yan.

Not long after the break, Sterling got to Yan’s back again and nearly locked in an armbar, but Yan slipped off and got into top guard. Sterling managed to trip Yan up and get to his back. The first round saw Yan be the more aggressive fighter, while Sterling fought on the back foot.

Once the two finally got a chance to meet again in the UFC 273 co-main event Saturday, they went the five-round distance. In a close fight, Sterling (21-3 MMA, ...

I want a rematch. “I want a rematch. Once the two finally got a chance to meet again in the UFC 273 co-main event Saturday, they went the five-round distance.

Aljamain Sterling vowed to Petr Yan that their rematch would be a different fight. Well, it wasn't just talk. Sterling scored a pivotal takedown in each of ...

But in the end, judges gave the nod to "Funk Master," who proceeded to shoot his shot to 50 Cent for an acting role on the television show "Power" and call out T.J. Dillashaw who flipped the champion the middle finger from the crowd. Sterling scored a pivotal takedown in each of the second and third rounds to help power a split-decision victory over Yan to be crowned the undisputed bantamweight champion of the world at UFC 273. Judges at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday night scored it 48-47 Sterling, 47-48 Yan and 48-47 Sterling to give him the close win in the co-main event of the pay-per-view.

Aljamain Sterling vowed to Petr Yan that their rematch would be a different fight. Well, it wasn't just talk. Sterling scored a pivotal takedown in each of ...

But in the end, judges gave the nod to "Funk Master," who proceeded to shoot his shot to 50 Cent for an acting role on the television show "Power" and call out T.J. Dillashaw who flipped the champion the middle finger from the crowd. Sterling scored a pivotal takedown in each of the second and third rounds to help power a split-decision victory over Yan to be crowned the undisputed bantamweight champion of the world at UFC 273. Judges at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday night scored it 48-47 Sterling, 47-48 Yan and 48-47 Sterling to give him the close win in the co-main event of the pay-per-view.

There's no disputing it now. Aljamain Sterling is the UFC's bantamweight champion after defeating Petr Yan via split decision in the co-main event of UFC ...

Sterling had to deal with the criticism of how he won his belt for over a year. Yan defended several Sterling takedown attempts and had the most exciting moment of the frame with a flying knee that nearly landed flush. He landed an early left hook that shook Sterling and led to a takedown. The interim champion rebounded in the fourth round. Sterling once again found his favorite position in the third round. The first round was fought at a tepid pace as both fighters had an extended feeling-out period.

Dana White believes Petr Yan did enough to beat Aljamain Sterling in the bantamweight championship co-main event of UFC 273 on Saturday.

“Petr Yan is one of the baddest dudes in that division. It’s likely that Yan will have to wait for a third shot at Sterling, especially considering the depth of the 135-pound roster. Sterling was victorious over rival Petr Yan on Saturday in their rematch at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, Fla., earning a split decision nod after five competitive rounds to unify his undisputed bantamweight title with Yan’s interim title.

Petr Yan believes another fight with Aljamain Sterling is necessary after suffering a close decision loss at UFC 273 on Saturday.

I want a rematch.” “I won this fight,” Yan said via a Russian translator. In the co-main event of UFC 273 on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla., Sterling defeated Yan by split decision to unify his undisputed title with Yan’s interim title.

UFC president Dana White was not happy with the judges' decision on the Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan fight at UFC 273.

The controversial decision had fans in a bit of a stir as well. “I think I won three rounds out of five. I had it 3-2 the other way.”