UFC 259: Aljamain Sterling Wins Bantamweight Title After Petr Yan Delivers Illegal Knee

Aljamain Sterling is the new UFC bantamweight champion after a wild illegal knee from Petr Yan at [...]

By Aaron Perine

Aljamain Sterling is the new UFC bantamweight champion after a wild illegal knee from Petr Yan at UFC 259. The former champion had the advantage for a lot of the fight and it looked like it could go the distance until the fourth round. From there, Sterling was trying to hang on with some body shots. Before long, Yan gets the new champion to the ground and tries to land the final blow. However, that knee to a downed fighter's head is illegal and the match is stopped. After a moment of confusion, the entire thing got called off and social media was vibrating with the takes from such a controversial ending. Strangely, that makes this a six-fight win streak for the new champion. He last finished off Cory Sandhagen in the first round back in June. For the loser, that's got to sting as this was his first title defense after shocking Jose Aldo.

After that submission victory last year, the Funk Master had some words for his doubters. "This one was everything man, the pressure I put on myself, I knew Cory was a tough dude, He's the tallest guy I've fought since Cody Gibson. To go back and take out a guy who everyone touted. You know everyone touted these guys, I'm not beating scrubs, you know? I'm beating the best of the best guys."

"I beat Cody Stamann. I beat Brett Johns, who was undefeated 3 and 0 in the UFC. You know? I'm beating Jimmy Rivera, who was supposed to out strike me. I'm beating Pedro Munoz, who was going to break me, push me, an d make me quit. And then, I beat a guy who everyone thought was the next Dominick Cruz 2.0," he added. "Keep doubting me, and you guys are going to keep losing your money. So, I talk about it time and time again on my weekly podcast, The Weekly Scratch. You know, I don't like to pump myself up, but I'm confident in myself and my skill set."

Did you think the fight should have been stopped? Let us know down in the comments!

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