The results of Petr Yan becoming the first fighter in UFC history to lose a title by disqualification were full of questions about how it happened.
On the surface, it’s simple: Yan (15-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) threw an illegal knee after being told by the referee that Aljamain Sterling was in a knocked down position during the fourth round of the game. bantamweight title fight at UFC 259 on Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) was severely compromised by the shot, the fight was removed and the belt changed hands.
An extra layer appeared shortly afterwards, however, when questions arose about a potential misunderstanding with Yan’s corner. The Russian had several employees who spoke to him in different languages and this could have caused the confusion behind his illegal action.
UFC broadcast partner ESPN released images of the corner exchange, and according to a Russian-English translation by UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, one of Yan’s coaches told him to hit Sterling with anything other than fists while he was in down (through