Petr Yan shocks fans by hitting Aljamain Sterling with 'Illegal, Disgusting' knee: Watch

Aljamain Sterling was crowned the new UFC Bantamweight Champion at UFC 259 after his opponent Petr Yan was disqualified for hitting him with an illegal knee strike during their title bout. The former titleholder looked in total control entering the fourth round and was even winning on the judges’ scorecards. However, a brutal and possibly intentional knee to Sterling's face paused the match, forcing the referee to call in the doctor.

Aljamain Sterling, who was completely floored by the blow, was checked by the doctor, who declared him unable to continue. One can say that Petr Yan threw away his title by hitting Sterling with the illegal strike, which he could have retained, considering his performance in the past rounds. Petr Yan’s move made many furious, with some fighters saying that he “intentionally” hit Funk Master with the knee.

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Petr Yan illegal knee: Fans slam Petr Yan

After the conclusion of the bout, fans took to Twitter and slammed Petr Yan, saying he’s not worthy to be a champion, while others asked the UFC to ‘run it back’. “That s**ks — bad mistake from Yan — run it back,” added a fan. “What a dirty play from Yan,” another added. Few even asked the UFC to suspend the Russian for a month and even advised them to ban the keen strikes for good.

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Petr Yan illegal knee: Fans troll Aljamain Sterling

While many slammed Petr Yan for his illegal move, some criticised Aljamain Sterling, saying that the American could have continued fighting after taking a brief rest. Few claimed that the Funk Master was just acting to get Petr Yan disqualified so that he could get his hands on the title. “And the Oscar for best actor goes to Sterling,” wrote a fan. “Only title Aljo wins tonight is the Oscars,” added a fan. “Everyone saying he’s acting is wayyyyy off. He took the belt off and dropped it. Clearly didn’t want to win like this, if he could have continued, he would have,” commented the third.

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Petr Yan disqualified: Aljamain Sterling is open for a rematch

A few hours later, Aljamain Sterling took to Twitter, where he claimed that the illegal knee from Petr Yan felt ‘intentional,’ considering the referee had told Yan not to hit a downed opponent with a knee. Aljo stated that he was preparing for the bout for months and their title fight was filled with action. “Yan is a bad dude! WE WILL DO IT AGAIN,” Sterling concluded.

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