Petr Yan apologized to Aljamain Sterling on Twitter Saturday night after being disqualified from their fight due to an illegal knee.
Yan and Sterling were in the fourth round of their bantamweight fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nev. Sterling had a leg on the mat when Yan drilled him with a knee to the head.
Yan, who was leading two rounds to one on the judges’ cards, was disqualified from the fight due to the illegal move. That marked the first time a UFC title changed hands due to a disqualification.
Yan felt badly about the move and apologized via Twitter. He called it a “big mistake.”
I apologize and wish speedy recovery to @funkmasterMMA I didn’t mean to throw an illegal strike, I just made a big mistake and paid for it.
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) March 7, 2021
This is only Yan’s second professional MMA loss and first since he joined the UFC.
Sterling says he is ready and willing to fight Yan again.
Not the way I ever want to win a fight. It was close, competitive and filled with action. I felt the knee was intentional, especially after the ref announced I was a downed opponent, so I didn’t expect to be hit.
Yan is a bad dude! WE WILL DO IT AGAIN!#UFC259— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 7, 2021
Sterling, 31, is now 20-3. Yan is 15-2.
