The first fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan ended in controversy after Yan delivered an illegal knee that rendered Sterling unable to continue at UFC 259 in March 2021. Yan lost the bantamweight championship due to the infraction and Sterling became the first fighter in UFC history to win a title by disqualification.
In the UFC 273 co-main event on Saturday, the two rematched in a title unification bout, and it ended in a razor-close split decision.
Some people, including UFC president Dana White, scored the fight for Yan. Sterling clearly won rounds 2 and 3. Yan clearly won rounds 4 and 5. All three judges scored those rounds that way. Two of the judges scored the first round for Sterling giving him the split decision victory.
Take a look at the official scorecard.
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UFC 273 Official Scorecard: Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2