Aljamain Sterling is the new UFC bantamweight champion, which has many fans feeling a certain way about the legitimacy of it.
This past Saturday at UFC 259, Sterling claimed the title from Petr Yan after Yan committed a foul by hitting Sterling with an egregious illegal knee to the face while he was a downed opponent in the fourth round of their fight. After some time to see if Sterling could continue, referee Mark Smith called off the fight. And because Smith ruled that the knee was intentional – which is hardly debatable – Yan was disqualified and Sterling awarded the victory and, by rule, the championship.
As you can imagine, the result has garnered a fiery response from fans on social media, many of whom are criticizing Sterling for not continuing on.
On this week”s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” we debated bold statements, asking if they were overreactions or on the money. So … You’re not a legitimate champion if you win by disqualification. Is that an overreaction or on the money?
Watch the video above to hear Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia, and host Simon Head weigh-in. You can also watch the full episode below.
Video: Aljamain Sterling isn’t a legitimate champion after UFC 259. Overreaction?