Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling claims his former opponent, Peter Yan, is not as good as some people think.
Sterling, for someone who has never done anything harmful before, was not well received by some of the MMA fan base. It all seems to stem from how he won his title against Peter Yan again at UFC 259, in March of 2021.
In the fourth round of what was a dominant display from Yan, he connected with an illegal knee (a fallen opponent), eventually forcing the referee to call off the contest as Sterling claimed he could not continue, eventually winning the belt via disqualification. The pair engaged in feud prior to their first fight, but prior to their second, the rivalry was laced with rivalry. Sterling would defeat Yan in a rematch, this time without controversy and has since gone on to enjoy a successful reign as heavyweight champion, a title many would have had though Yan.
Aljamain Sterling: Peter Yan ‘not as good as you guys think’
While the couple have had a respectful interaction since then, In an interview with Jake PaulSterling claims that Yan is not as good as some have said.
“I felt like the UFC had such a great golden goose that they would make all these eggs for them,” he said. Sterling said. “I was like, Dude, it’s not as good as you guys think.” This is coming from someone in sports -[who]breaks down and analyzes the fight. I’m doing my own podcast. I break down these fights weekly. Style-wise, when I look at him and see what he’s doing with the guys he’s fighting, he’s fighting the steady guys, and they’re standing right in front of him.. (H/T MMAJunkie)
Yan has gone 1-3 since losing by disqualification to Sterling, but Funkmaster doesn’t seem surprised.
He takes his time. He lets them pick their shots and then he picks his shots, landing the better shots. If you get a guy who’s actually trying to wrestle him, that’s a different fight, man. I watched the fight with Merab (Dvalishvili). I saw the fight with myself — even Sean ( O’Malley) fights. You get a guy with good footwork, it’s not the same fight, man. Things like that bother me.”
Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling?