Aljamain Sterling is looking to defend his UFC title for the first time as he rematches Petr Yan in a grudge-filled fight. The two fought back in March 2021 when Sterling won by disqualification after taking an illegal knee.

Aljamain Sterling went on The MMA Hour and discussed the first fight with Petr Yan. The UFC bantamweight champion admits it was a good thing the fight was stopped when it was.

“Thankfully, the referee and doctor saved me from myself because had they given me five minutes, I would have continued the fight…they stopped the fight, and thankfully they did,” UFC champion Sterling said.

“Honestly, being that compromised as I was going into the fight, getting punched in the head repeatedly and then getting illegally kneed in the head with a strike I didn’t see coming. That fight isn’t getting any better for me. People can say whatever they want; I didn’t roll over; I didn’t quit. The referee saved me from myself, and I’m very, very appreciative of that.”

The illegal knee was a huge talking point in the fight and Aljamain Sterling got brutally honest when talking about Petr Yan getting disqualified. He didn't understand why the Russian fighter all of a sudden ‘forgot' how to speak and understand English.

“Here’s my issue, I’m going to tee it up for the casuals out there,” UFC bantamweight Sterling said. “There’s rules we get in the back room, there’s rules we know going into this sport, we agree upon them. You’re in the fight; I’m down on my knees, you knee me in the head as I come up – legal.

“Then we get back to that same decision; you wait six seconds, the ref tells you at the beginning of that six seconds that he is a down opponent. You speak English at the press conference; you speak English when we’re face to face now, all of a sudden, you don’t understand that ‘down means he is a down opponent, and you can’t throw knees to the head?’ The guy isn’t looking, and then you throw a knee a second later when you’re winning the fight at that point. Why not let the guy up? That’s all I want people to understand. Why not let that guy up and continue to do the damage and carnage you’ve been doing since you’re so great. Make that make sense.

“The guy was frustrated and thought he was going to get away with one. That’s really what it comes down to…”