5 biggest winners from UFC 273: Alexander Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie

#2. Aljamain Sterling – defeated Petr Yan to defend the UFC bantamweight title

After his win over Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling should be seen as the legitimate champion at 135lbs

It wasn’t without controversy – albeit nowhere near the same amount as their last bout produced – but when all was said and done, Aljamain Sterling was adjudged to have done enough to retain his UFC bantamweight title against interim champ Petr Yan last night.

Many observers – including Dana White – have stated that they felt Yan did enough to take the victory. Regardless, it was ‘The Funk Master’ who had his hand raised after being given the first, second and third rounds of the fight.

Sterling’s performance made a mockery of the idea that Yan would simply whitewash him this time around. Not only did he take Yan down in the second and third rounds, but he dominated him on the mat, coming close to finishing him on more than one occasion in the second.

Sure, ‘No Mercy’ came roaring back in the final two rounds but it just wasn’t enough to sway the fight for him.

In the end, then, it’s hard to deny that Sterling is the best 135lber on the planet at this point, even if he still doesn’t seem to be getting the respect he deserves.

It sounds like T.J. Dillashaw is next up for him. At the very least, he’ll probably be treated as the “face” in that bout meaning that, should he win, he’ll probably be legitimized in the eyes of any remaining doubters.

Regardless, after his showing last night, it’s impossible not to consider him one of UFC 273’s biggest winners.

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#1. Alexander Volkanovski – defeated Chan Sung Jung to defend the UFC featherweight title

Alexander Volkanovski thoroughly dominated Chan Sung Jung en route to a TKO win

While both Khamzat Chimaev and Aljamain Sterling picked up huge victories last night, it’s hard not to consider UFC 273’s biggest winner to be reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Sure, it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as his last victory over Brian Ortega, but Volkanovski looked absolutely fantastic in his win over Chan Sung Jung. He thoroughly dominated ‘The Korean Zombie’ en route to a merciful fourth-round stoppage.

The fight was, realistically, done in the third round, as Volkanovski dropped Jung hard and attempted to finish him, only for the buzzer to save the challenger.

In a bizarre decision, the cageside doctor allowed it to go on into the fourth, only for referee Herb Dean to mercifully stop it when Volkanovski landed another brutal right hand, despite Jung remaining on his feet.

Overall, though, this was further evidence as to why Volkanovski ought to be considered a pound-for-pound great right now. Essentially, the Australian has no weaknesses, and he was able to beat a very tough challenger in every single area here.

Can any 145lber defeat him right now? Based on last night, it’s highly doubtful. There’s every chance that ‘The Great’ goes on to become the UFC’s featherweight GOAT now – if he isn’t there already.