White: ‘The Judges Blew That One’

UFC’s president has weighed in on Sterling’s hotly contested split decision win over Yan last night … and he’s not impressed with the Florida judges.

Sometimes you can tell who won a close UFC fight decision before the announcement is made. Once, Urijah Faber’s coach infamously peeked at Bruce Buffer’s card and walked away in visible disgust before the decision was read. This time at UFC 273, it was Dana White’s face that revealed Aljamain Sterling had won before the scores were revealed.

UFC’s president looked like he was sucking a lemon leading up to the judges handing Sterling a split decision win and the undisputed Bantamweight championship.

We’ve discussed the Sterling vs. Yan 2 scorecards: the deciding factor was round one, which was a toss up that went Sterling’s way in two judges’ opinions. With little of significance happening in that round, it’s hard to blame them for that.

But, White did at the UFC 273 post-fight press conference.

“I thought that the judges blew that one,” White said. “I had it 3-2 the other way. I don’t know how you guys scored it. I guess it’s all in how you score that first round.”

Yan certainly felt like he’d gotten screwed during the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

“I think I won this fight and I got robbed,” Yan said through his translator. “I think I won three rounds out of five.”

Taking the mic and switching to English, he added, “I want rematch. I want rematch!”

But, as bad as the decision was in White’s opinion, he thinks it’s time to move on for the time being and set up Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw next.

“Listen, that [third Sterling-Yan] fight’s gonna be there,” White said. “Petr Yan is one of the baddest dudes in that division … You probably do the T.J. fight.”

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