Sonnen: Aljamain Sterling’s Detractors Only Remember Final 2 Rounds

Former UFC fighter turned commentator Chael Sonnen doesn’t understand why some people think Petr Yan defeated Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273.

Sterling earned a split-decision win over Yan in the UFC 273 co-headliner. He used his grappling and opportunistic striking to get the better of Yan on the judges’ scorecards.

While Sterling won the fight according to the judges, some believe that Yan deserved to win the bout by winning Rounds 1, 4, and 5.

During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen revealed how he scored Sterling vs. Yan 2 at UFC 273.

“That fight was very clear 3-2. The two rounds that Yan won, regardless of what your lying eyes tell you, Sterling let him win. I don’t mean that from an anti-sportsmanship standpoint. I am not looking to take away from Yan. I thought Yan looked great. It was a matchup problem. It was a blueprint problem. It was a ‘getting taken down and Aljo on top’ problem. It was a round problem.”

Sonnen went on to recap Sterling’s win and point out why he believes Sterling won the fight on the scorecards.

“I’ve been stunned that people are pushing back and don’t think he won the fight. That’s not what I saw. I saw it exactly the way Aljo did. I didn’t see the 10-8 business. The control was there for a 10-8, but not the damage. So I’m out on lunch on that one. But the first three versus the last two (I agree with)…

“I thought Aljo was very dominant. I thought it was a glorious victory…I just think that some of you that are pushing back on Aljo are only remembering the last two rounds, which is very common. There was an organization called PRIDE where if you won the last parts of the fight, you could win the entire fight. It was just looked at very differently. In a 10-9 must system, you got 3-2, it’s basic math, as I see it. And I have been surprised at some of the pushback.”

While Sonnen scored the fight in favor of Sterling, some other MMA personalities such as Big John McCarthy and Josh Thomson scored the fight the other way. This has prompted Sterling to ask for apologies from his detractors, including his posting of an apology form on social media.

Sterling will more than likely face former champion TJ Dillashaw next, but a third fight down the line with Yan is certainly on the table. For now, Sterling is continuing to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

How did you score Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2?

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