Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling believes his rival, Russian Petr Yan, benefits from preferential treatment at the hands of UFC president Dana White.
At UFC 264, Sterling told reporters that he believes the UFC’s treatment of Yan has been biased. Yan’s claim to the title, according to Sterling, is illegitimate and unearned:
Sterling: Yan has “Dana White Privilege!”
“He had a layup. That was the worst performance that I could remember in a very long time, and he had a slam dunk to bring it home and solidify everything and shut up all the critics for himself because he never fought anyone in the top five.
I fought three guys in the top five. I beat them all, but I’m the paper champ? It’s ironic, but at the end of the day, I think this is a blessing in disguise.
I feel good, I feel healthy, and I can’t wait to just remind the world that what I’ve done was no accident and what he’s done. He got here with the Dana White privilege, and I can’t wait to shut him up.”
Sterling was crowned bantamweight champion in controversial fashion earlier this year. At UFC 259, when Yan defended his belt against Sterling, the Russian was dominating the fight. That’s until he threw a brutal knee at Sterling’s head while the latter was downed, an immediate disqualification.
Sterling won the fight, and the championship, not by defeating his opponent, but because Yan was removed from the competition.
Yan, whose English is virtually non-existent, was confused by the result, unclear on who had won the fight. He thought he’d taken a knockout win, only to see his belt wrapped around the waist of his dazed opponent. A punch-drunk Sterling raised his arms, rattled by the serious blow to his head.
Ever since, the two have traded barbs on social media, with Yan claiming that Sterling is an illegitimate champ. The two will face each other once again for a title match to settle the grudge once and for all, but that will have to wait. Sterling remains sidelined by injury, although some are hopeful of a fall rematch between the two.
What do you think? Is Aljamain Sterling right to criticize Petr Yan’s rise to the top of the bantamweight division? Does he have any license to talk smack about Yan, considering the means by which he currently holds the title? Let us know in the comments.
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