Daniel Cormier shares his thoughts on Aljamain Sterling’s win over Petr Yan at UFC 273: “I don’t think by any means it was a robbery”

By Harry Kettle - April 14, 2022

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe Aljamain Sterling’s win over Petr Yan should be viewed as a robbery.

Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan, UFC 273

Last weekend in the co-main event of UFC 273, Aljamain Sterling edged out a split decision triumph over Petr Yan. The win cemented his status as the UFC bantamweight champion and in doing so, created another branch of controversy amongst fans who felt as if Yan should’ve gotten the nod on the judges’ scorecards.

The first round was believed to be the most contentious with some scoring it for the champion and some for the challenger. On a recent episode of DC & RC, Daniel Cormier gave his thoughts on what went down.

“It all boiled down to one round of the fight and it was round number one,” Cormier said. “But here’s where people are so confused in regards to the scoring of this fight. We have no consistency in judging. Round 2 was a 10-8 round for Aljamain Sterling. I mean anybody with two eyes should be able to judge that fight 10-8 for Aljo. So, if you’re arguing that Round 1 goes to Yan, we got a draw. Aljo still keeps the title, right? Nothing changes. We’re back at square one.”

“Petr got started a little bit too late,” Cormier added. “Round 4 and 5, as he’s done on so many occasions, they belong to Petr Yan. But you can’t have a guy bank three rounds as you head into the championship rounds and think that you’re gonna win a title. Very competitive fight, many people believed that it could have gone the other way, but I don’t think by any means it was a robbery.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier? Is there a chance we will see a third fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan before one of the two retires?