“The Judges Blew That One”- Dana White Makes a Shocking Claim About Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling

Posted on by Jim Smarts

Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling were the co-main event tonight at UFC 273. ‘Funkmaster’ and ‘No Mercy’ took part in a grudge match a year in the making for the bantamweight title. Sterling had a lot to prove going into the fight given how the first fight ended. For over a year now, Sterling was continuously ridiculed by the MMA fan base for his antics at UFC 259. Tonight, Sterling left the cage with no doubt as to who the real champion at bantamweight is. Dana White, however, did not see it that way. 

Many fans and pundits still believe that Sterling did not do enough tonight to win the fight. A number of fans felt that Yan won rounds 1,4 and 5 which gives him a 3-2 advantage in the fight. Dana White also shared similar views and did not hold back on it during the press conference. He said, “Yeah I thought that the judges blew that one, I had it 3-2 the other way. I don’t know how you guys scored it but, I guess it is all on how you scored that first round.”

White continued, “Listen that fight (with Yan) is going to be there. Petr Yan is one of the baddest dudes in that division, you probably do the TJ fight.”

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Is Dana White right in his assessment of Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling 2?

Rounds two and three had a pretty clear winner in Aljamain Sterling, who was able to secure the back and had over three minutes of control time in both the rounds. Those rounds are not up for debate. Rounds four and five, the consensus is that Petr Yan won those rounds. Therefore, as Dana White said, the difference-maker in the fight was how the first round was scored. 

The MMA community is split on the decision. Many feel that Sterling won the first round whereas a huge number of people feel that Yan won the first round. Needless to say, Sterling came prepared this time around. In the first fight, Sterling was clearly behind up until the illegal knee, this time as promised during the build-up to the fight. Sterling was able to secure the back and control Yan there for most of the fight. Who do you think won the fight? Do you agree with Dana White’s decision? Let us know in the comments below!