Yan apologizes for foul, Sterling vows to book rematch
Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan both took to social media to weigh in on the result of their UFC 259 title fight.
Yan, who lost the bantamweight title via disqualification Saturday after landing an illegal knee that was deemed intentional in the fourth round, apologized for committing the foul.
I apologize and wish speedy recovery to @funkmasterMMA I didn’t mean to throw an illegal strike, I just made a big mistake and paid for it.
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) March 7, 2021
Sterling, the new champion, vowed to run it back with Yan after saying he didn't want to capture the belt via disqualification.
Not the way I ever want to win a fight. It was close, competitive and filled with action. I felt the knee was intentional, especially after the ref announced I was a downed opponent, so I didn’t expect to be hit.
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 7, 2021
Yan is a bad dude! WE WILL DO IT AGAIN!#UFC259
Sterling added in a separate tweet that it was "heartbreaking" to watch Yan land the illegal strike.
"Funk Master" was winning 29-28 on one scorecard and losing 29-28 on two others heading into the fourth round.
Sterling's riding a six-fight winning streak and hasn't lost since 2017. Yan, meanwhile, suffered his first UFC loss.
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