Aljamain Sterling: UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is one of the most popular figures in the promotions. This is largely down to his outspoken personality, incredible skill set, and the fact that he is the bantamweight champion. However, the way in which he won the bantamweight belt is often criticized by fans. So let’s take a closer look at what happened and whether Aljamain Sterling cheated to win the UFC belt. For more combat sports news, follow Insidesport.IN.
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Sterling will defend his belt for the third time on May 6 against former champion Henry Cejudo. And Cejudo was one of Sterling’s biggest critics back in 2021 when the American won the belt against Petr Yan. So why does Aljamain Sterling get so much hate for winning the UFC bantamweight title?
VIDEO: Did Aljamain Sterling Win the UFC Title by Cheating?
Did Aljamain Sterling cheat to win the UFC belt?
Sterling took on Petr Yan in 2021 for Yan’s bantamweight title. Yan dominated Sterling for the first three rounds, despite the American getting some good shots in. However, in the fourth round, Sterling had one knee on the ground while Yan was on the attack. He did this to try to avoid an onslaught from Yan and to get a grip of the Russian’s leg.
While he was on the ground, Yan landed a knee straight to the chin. This was obviously an illegal blow from Yan as he kneed a grounded opponent to the head. Sterling then had five minutes to recover. Unfortunately for Yan, Sterling could not recover, and Yan lost his belt due to disqualification.
Therefore, Aljamain Sterling did not cheat to win the UFC title. Despite this, fans questioned his reaction. According to some, Sterling made a meal of it, knowing that he was losing the fight and it was the only way to win. Moreover, fans pointed to past instances when fighters recovered from the same thing to continue. In addition, Sterling did not do himself any favors by first rejecting the belt and then parading it the next day.
However, ‘Funkmaster’ silenced all doubters by beating Yan in the rematch. So, although it was not an ideal way to win the UFC bantamweight title, Aljamain Sterling did not cheat.
What do you make of Aljamain Sterling’s title win? Do you think he made the most of it?
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