ESPN releases footage of Petr Yan’s corner after controversial illegal knee

MMAWeekly.com Staff
·2 min read
Petr Yan knees Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259
Petr Yan knees Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259

Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling were fighting a close battle for Yan's bantamweight belt at UFC 259 on Saturday. The fight finish, which saw Sterling laid out on the canvas, resulted in Yan losing his belt.

The result came after Yan drove an illegal knee into Sterling's head while he was a downed opponent. Yan's disqualification came after the referee determined the blow was intentional because it occurred after the referee had said Sterling was down prior to the blow.

Yan was slightly ahead on the scorecard when the bout was stopped. He was up 29-28 according to two judges, while the third judge had it 29-28 in favor of Sterling.

Just before Yan delivered the illegal knee, one of his cornerman was yelling for him to only punch. After he threw the knee, another of his cornermen was cheering, seemingly believing he had won the fight.

The confusion seems to stem from a Russian cornerman allegedly yelling to Yan, in Russian, to deliver a kick. This comes from UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov telling commentator Daniel Cormier what he heard the Russian speaking cornerman say.

ESPN, which broadcasted the fight, released video of the exchange to its Instagram channel on Sunday.

Petr Yan's corner allegedly telling him to kick Aljamain Sterling

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ESPN MMA (@espnmma)

TRENDING > UFC 259 recap & highlights: Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling

Both Yan and Sterling were calling for an immediate rematch after the fight. Yan, of course, didn't want to lose his belt that way, and Sterling was just as adamant that he didn't want to win it in such a fashion.

UFC president Dana White said that he hopes to book the rematch as soon as possible after both men are medically cleared to fight.

Dana White weighs in on controversial illegal knee

(Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • This iconic, universally flattering Clinique lipstick sells out fast — grab it while it's a rare 20% off

    It's been a staple since the 1980s thanks to its moisturizing formula and chameleon-like hue.

  • Paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with ketamine before his death avoids prison

    BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — A former paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with ketamine avoided prison and was sentenced to probation Friday after his homicide conviction in the Black man’s death, which helped fuel the 2020 racial injustice protests. Jeremy Cooper faced up to three years in prison. He administered a dose of the sedative ketamine to McClain, 23, who had been forcibly restrained after police stopped him as he was walking home in a Denver suburb in 2019. The sentencing caps a series of

  • Montpellier draws with lowly Nantes and finishes with 9 men

    MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — Nantes stayed in relegation danger in the French league after drawing 1-1 with a Montpellier side that ended the Friday match with nine men. Montpellier led through Akor Adams just two minutes in after a lightning counterattack. Five minutes later, sloppy midfield play by the home side allowed Matthis Abline to wriggle free and poke home an angled finish for Nantes. Montpellier's Lucas Mincarelli Davin and Arnaud Nordin were sent off in stoppage time. Nantes was in 14t

  • Jayden Daniels says pre-draft Topgolf outing with Washington Commanders 'was awesome'

    Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders are ready to begin their partnership after the team selected the QB No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

  • Party animal Mark Allen happy he has the right balance at World Championship

    The Antrim cueman faces John Higgins in a high-profile second-round clash at the Crucible.

  • UPDATE 1-Moody's downgrades Bolivia rating to 'Caa3', changes outlook to stable

    Global ratings agency Moody's downgraded Bolivia's rating to 'Caa3' from 'Caa1' on Friday, citing ongoing governance challenges and heightened domestic political risk which have taken external liquidity pressures to critical levels. "Recent developments have increased the risk of a disorderly balance of payments adjustment and of Bolivia not having sufficient hard currency to ensure full and timely repayment of its external debt obligations and imports," Moody's said in a statement. Moody's also said that it expects significant credit challenges to remain, including very low foreign-exchange reserve levels, shrinking production levels in the hydrocarbon sector, and elevated domestic political risk.

  • QB Penix hears from Cousins, Vick after landing with Falcons as NFL draft first-round surprise pick

    Michael Penix Jr., the biggest surprise of the NFL draft's first round, received a congratulatory call from Kirk Cousins on Thursday night even as Cousins' agent was second-guessing the Atlanta Falcons adding depth to their quarterback spot. Penix described the chat with Cousins as “a very good conversation,” but would not say what was discussed. Penix may have been more excited by Friday's text message from another left-handed Falcons quarterback named Michael.

  • Judge dismisses long-running lawsuit by Saint John cop

    There's nothing to prove that Miramichi's police chief and a prosecutor were acting maliciously, illegally or in bad faith when they signed off on charges against a Saint John cop in 2010, a judge has ruled. Court of King's Bench Justice Darrell Stephenson dismissed a long-running lawsuit by Const. Chris Messer against the province, the City of Miramichi and its police chief, Brian Cummings, in a decision filed April 4. In the lawsuit, first filed in 2016, Messer alleged malicious prosecution an

  • Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

    WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — White House national security spokesman John Kirby. ___ NBC's “Meet the Press” — Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Tim Kaine, D-Va. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation" — McConnell; Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa.; UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. ___ CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va.; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. __ “Fox News Sunday” — Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

  • Stopping rising insurance rates proving to be tough task in Florida

    Florida residents continue to wait for relief amid the insurance crisis. Many are still trying to navigate the state's coverage collapse. Those in control in Tallahassee say they're working on cutting our costs even as many still see their rates rise.

  • We have more insights as to where the economy is headed — and it's not good

    Inflation rearing its ugly head again proved problematic for the market.

  • CB Financial Services Inc (CBFV) Posts Mixed Q1 2024 Results; Adjusted Earnings Dip Amid ...

    Quarterly Performance Analysis Reveals Key Financial Metrics and Strategic Changes

  • Marla Adams Dies: ‘The Young And The Restless’ Daytime Emmy Winner Was 85

    Marla Adams, best known for her 37 years in the role of Dina Abbott Mergeron on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless, died Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 85 and the cause was not disclosed. Born in Ocean City, New Jersey, on August 28, 1938, Adams’ love for the stage was …

  • 2024 T20 World Cup: When will the teams be finalized? ICC deadline approaching fast

    Fifty-five matches will be played across nine cities in the U.S. and the Caribbean. The ICC 2024 T20 World Cup will be held between June 1 and June 9.

  • Marlins place opening day starter Jesús Luzardo on injured list with left elbow tightness

    MIAMI (AP) — The Marlins placed opening day starter Jesús Luzardo on the 15-day injured list Friday because of left elbow tightness. Luzardo, who was scheduled to pitch the opener of Miami's four-game series against Washington on Friday, first experienced discomfort during his routine throwing a day earlier. He underwent imaging tests and the results have not been disclosed. “I felt just felt a little tight more than normal I guess you could say, a tightness I don’t feel normally have before a s

  • Kristi Noem, a Trump VP contender, defends killing dog on family farm

    Kristi Noem, a contender to become Republican Donald Trump'svice presidential running mate, defended herself on Friday against Democratic attacks over her account of shooting a dog on her family farm. Noem, the governor of South Dakota, describes killing an "untrainable" dog called Cricket which she "hated" in an upcoming memoir, excerpts of which were first published by The Guardian on Friday. Noem said the dog ruined a hunt and later attacked chickens owned by a local family, behaved like a "trained assassin," and was "dangerous to anyone she came in contact with."

  • Modular apartment project offers more units, smaller space: developer

    A 32-unit affordable housing project is offering more units in the same building footprint by shrinking the size, the developers told Sussex council Monday. Council voted for first and second reading for the proposed modular housing project on Marble Street by Clayton Developments. The land, which has no civic address, is zoned medium-density residential, but developers asked to have it zoned as high-density in order to boost the unit count from 22 to 32. "The ways that we're managing cost in or

  • What next for Adrian Newey? Jeremy Clarkson’s schoolmate turned genius behind Red Bull

    Most of the headlines in Formula One motor racing are generated by the drivers – winning races, swapping teams or sounding off about their rivals or their latest hobby or girlfriend.

  • #MeToo advocates vow the reckoning will continue after Weinstein's conviction is overturned

    NEW YORK (AP) — #MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the movement is declared dead in the water. A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again. So Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual assault survivors, found herself again declaring after New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction: The #MeToo reckoning is greater than any court case. It’s still there, and

  • British man injured after Tobago shark attack

    The 64-year-old was 10 metres off the shore when he was attacked and is receiving critical care in hospital.