What a long, strange 13 months it's been for Aljamain Sterling.
Back in March 2021, Sterling (20-3) won the UFC bantamweight title by disqualification when Petr Yan (16-2) clocked him with an illegal knee. It happened as Yan was taking full control of the fight. After a back-and-forth beginning that saw Sterling ahead on one judge's scorecard and close on the other two, Yan began to decipher Sterling's timing.
UFC News#UFC259 Official Scorecard: Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMasterMMA) All Tonight's Scorecards: https://t.co/35sJ4plHsG https://t.co/CXTbMvmWsM
According to UFC Stats, Sterling, an accomplished college wrestler, landed just one of 17 takedown attempts in the bout, and none after the first round.