"He didn't win, Petr lost" - Robert Whittaker believes Aljamain Sterling shouldn't claim to be champion

Robert Whittaker is not very fond of Aljamain Sterling's claim to be a UFC champion.

'Funk Master' fought Petr Yan at UFC 259 last March. The Russian landed an illegal knee strike on Sterling in the fourth round, resulting in a disqualification loss for 'No Mercy' and a championship crowning for Sterling.

'The Reaper' believes that Sterling should not go around calling himself a UFC champion considering that he won the belt via DQ. During an appearance on Fox Sports' Main Event, Whittaker said:

"The character he's [Aljamain Sterling] gone with is too far because he can fight, he's a phenomenal fighter. He's unbelievable... You can't go around claiming you're the best in the world [after winning the title via disqualification]... he didn't win, Petr [Yan] lost. That is how it happened. That is the undeniable truth of the matter. So, you can't go around saying, 'I'm the champ'... because you didn't win the belt, you were given it. It's different... I just think he's taken it too far, it's a bit disrespectful."

Catch Robert Whittaker slamming Aljamain Sterling in the video below:

Whittaker is coming off a recent loss against Israel Adesanya at UFC 271. After losing his first encounter against the Nigerian-New Zealander via knockout, Whittaker gave a much better account of himself in the second fight

However, it still wasn't enough for 'The Reaper' to regain the title, with the Aussie losing the fight via unanimous decision.

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Petr Yan believes Aljamain Sterling will be forgotten after their rematch at UFC 273

Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan were expected to run it back soon after their first fight given its controversial ending. Those plans were stalled when 'Funk Master' elected to undergo neck surgery.

In the meantime, Yan fought Cory Sandhagen for the interim title at UFC 267. The fight was a competitive affair that ended in a decision win for the Russian.

In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Yan said that he was ready to finally put his rivalry with Sterling to rest on April 9 and claimed that the world will forget about 'Funk Master' after UFC 273.

"Just imagine: he was thinking about me and I didn't think about him at all. He had a long layoff, I had a different opponent that I fought. Now he's my next title defense that I'm going to beat up. And after Saturday night, everyone going to forget about him. He's just another clown that will be forgotten."

Watch Petr Yan's full appearance on The MMA Hour below: