Petr Yan still thinks he should be the UFC bantamweight champion.
Yan tried to win back the title that he had lost to Sterling earlier this year at UFC 273;. However, he was unable to achieve it and won a split decision. This saw Sterling grab Yan’s head and take control of him for large portions. Yan believed he was entitled to the win over Sterling in the immediate aftermath. Six months later, “No Mercy”, hasn’t lost his conviction on the matter.
“I know my mistakes that I made in this fight. Yan said that although I do not look back on the fight much, he still believes I won it. However, Yan shared his thoughts with Ariel Helwani, The MMA Hour.
Yan isn’t the only one who believes he should have won, with UFC President Dana White saying he “thought the judges blew that one;” nevertheless, Yan is now officially 0-2 against Sterling, albeit with the first loss a deeply controversial disqualification. Now the two once again find themselves on the same fight card, as Yan faces Sean O’Malley in a featured bout at UFC 280, while Sterling defends his title against T.J. Dillashaw in the co-main event. Due to their past, it is possible for both men to compete on the same fight card. However, they ran into one another before the event with nothing more than a handshake, some pleasantries, and a few words ,. Yan says that this was because their animosity had cooled down a bit.
” I was walking past them and saw their team. Yan said that Yan was calling him to let him know how he was doing. “When Aljo turned around he looked a little bit surprised. I talked to him a little bit and Merab was just standing there the whole time, not saying anything…
” There’s very little beef. It depends on the situation, depends on the mood.”
But the beef may have died down, that doesn’t mean their rivalry is dead. Yan has made it clear he hopes to earn another title shot with a win over O’Malley, be that against Sterling or Dillashaw, and the former champion takes some pleasure in fighting on the same night as Sterling, because he believes his bout is garnering more interest than the champions.
” I don’t care that much,” Yan replied when Yan was asked about the possibility of sharing the card to Sterling. “Actually, it’s even better to be on the same card as him. My fight with Sean will be bigger than his title fight. Our fight is getting more attention than his .”
fight.
UFC 280 takes place Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
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