Aljamain Sterling was in no condition to fight after an illegal knee from Petr Yan at UFC 259 but there are several big questions that need to be answered
Dana White had a bit of a chuckle when one of the media members asked about Petr Yan using an illegal knee against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259.
White wasn’t laughing at the blatant use of an illegal move but more so because it was so incredibly blatant that no one could defend it.
The UFC president has, as have all the fans, seen such illegal moves in the past, but none of them were quite as bad as this.
Yes, Jon Jones is one star who has fallen foul of using an illegal move in the past, but everyone admits that this was an error from the referee.
Sterling was a downed opponent, the referee said down to Yan, but the Russian still used a vicious knee to KO his rival and stop the fight.
Khabib Nurmagomedov overheard the conversation between Yan and his Russian coaches before the moment. The coaches, apparently, told Yan it was fine to use the knee and well, Yan did.
However, this is one of the most basic rules of the UFC. You cannot hit a downed opponent with a knee strike.
The football kicks are also out and it was crazy that Yan used this move. What was ever strange was that Yan was easily winning the fight and needed to go one more round.
While all of this was bad enough, there was worse to come from the referees and the UFC.
UFC officials, referees and coaches make a hash of everything
The worse came after this shocking moment. Sterling, clearly looking dazed and out of sorts, was asked if he could continue to fight.
It was crazy that a referee, in a title shot, after an illegal move, to a dazed opponent, asked Sterling if he could continue.
This went on for a couple of minutes before a doctor came in to check on Sterling. In every sport, as soon as someone is hit on the head, a doctor rushes in to deal with them.
Why wasn’t this done as soon as the fight was stopped due to an illegal knee? The doctor also took his time and kept telling Sterling to lie down but he too wanted to get up and not win the belt in this fashion.
Frankly, the decision to continue or call off the fight should not have been asked to Sterling. The UFC officials, the athletics commission, the doctor and the referee were all there and they should have just ended the fight right there.
Most people watching from their streams or on channels couldn’t believe how this fight was dealt with. Chael Sonnen was one of the first people to question the officials and brought up how, in boxing, people were fired for being so out of touch over illegal moves and cheating.
Petr Yan and his coaches open a can of worms
Sterling then had to be carried out of the Octagon but he gave an interview, even though he didn’t need to.
He should have been taken to a hospital straight ahead, but he decided to speak up. This is where Rogan confirmed what Khabib had told and another video surfaced after UFC 259 that led to more confusion.
Yan’s team were coaching him during the moment and he seemed to ask if he could hit him. One coach said “leg” repeatedly, when Yan could only use his hands.
The Russian then kneed Sterling and there was a loud “yes” from the coaches corner. No one knows who that coach is but Yan confirmed he made a mistake and apologised to Sterling.
The new champion, Sterling, also wants to fight Yan again and it will be interesting to see what happens between them.
In any other sport, such blatant flouting of the rules would have led to a fine or a suspension. However, nothing of that sort seems to be set up for Yan.
He made a mistake and lost his title. However, the entire episode just leaves a sour taste of how illegal moves are looked at in MMA.
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