"Hard not to love this" - Fans react as Petr Yan hands former rival Aljamain Sterling an Oscar award in their new Russian reality show

Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan have visibly reconciled innovatively. The former rivals have faced each other twice in the octagon in the past. A recent video shows the pair enacting a playful award ceremony, sparking fan reactions.

The bitter rivalry started between the duo at UFC 259 when Yan entered the octagon to defend his bantamweight championship against Sterling. The 31-year-old Russian controversially lost his title after delivering an illegal knee to 'Funk Master' in the fourth round. They met each other in a rematch at UFC 273 and after a close contest, Sterling defended the belt by split decision.

Sterling and Yan have seemingly buried their hatchet as they prepare to coach opposing teams in the Russian spin-off of The Ultimate Fighter called Hype Reality.

In a video posted on Gorilla Fighting's Instagram account, Yan is handing over an Oscar award to Sterling. The 35-year-old American bent on one knee to receive the award and Yan replicated his UFC 259 knee on him while playing along, attracting fans in the comments.

Check out the post below:

A fan expressed his appreciation for the post by writing:

"Hard not to love this."

Another wrote:

"Very funny and respectful."

Another fan vouched for Sterling for the award by writing:

"Aljo deserves that award 😭."

Check out a few more fan reactions below:

Screenshot courtesy: Fan comments from @gorillafighting on Instagram.

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When Aljamain Sterling addressed criticism over his UFC 259 celebration over Petr Yan win

Aljamain Sterling challenged Petr Yan for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 259 in 2021. The fight ended in Yan losing his title due to disqualification after he delivered an illegal knee to Sterling. It became a subject of controversy after 'Funk Master' was crowned the new champion and he was heavily criticized by fans for how he won.

In an interview with ESPN MMA, the former UFC bantamweight champion reflected on his win and the post-fight celebration:

"I didn't do anything wrong and then if I say that is, 'well you shouldn't be celebrating,' I'm like, 'I'm not celebrating, my friends are celebrating that they are here with me right now and they want me to enjoy the moment. I'm sorry that offends people, I don't want to celebrate it in terms of holding the belt and doing all this stuff. I'm not doing that."

Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below (1:15):