No way Sterling won that first round - John McCarthy on Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan at UFC 273

John McCarthy has questioned the judges' decision to award Aljamain Sterling the undisputed UFC bantamweight title at the recently concluded UFC 273 pay-per-view.

During an episode of his YouTube show, McCarthy shared his take on the UFC 273 co-main event championship bout between Sterling and former champion Petr Yan. Breaking down the pivotal first round of the bout, the former MMA referee said:

“I was very impressed with Aljamain and the way he fought. But there’s no way he won that first round. The heavier shots were landed easily by Yan. And I thought it was a smart tactic by Aljamain to stay on the outside, to move continuously, but he didn’t land much. He landed a couple of kicks, not real hard, and he got hit with some heavy shots a little bit."

Watch John McCarthy break down the Sterling vs. Yan rematch below:

Aljamain Sterling was awarded a split-decision victory at UFC 273. 'Funk Master' dominated the second and third rounds, while Petr Yan clearly won the last two. The first round was a closely contested affair, with Yan controlling the octagon and Sterling outstriking his Russian counterpart.

Ultimately, the judges scored the contest 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47 in favor of Sterling.

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Chael Sonnen praises Aljamain Sterling's ground game

Chael Sonnen also shared his take on the Sterling vs. Yan rematch. In a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, the former UFC fighter praised Sterling’s ground game during the fight. An NCAA D1 wrestler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt himself, Sonnen said:

“Aljamain on the back of Petr Yan is the finest work we’ve ever seen in that position in the history of MMA... Taking the back and maintaining that control as flawlessly as he did, all the way to the body triangle is the best that has been displayed in the sport of MMA.”

Sterling’s grappling prowess comes as no surprise as he is an NCAA D3 wrestler. He’s also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under former UFC champion Matt Serra. Out of his 21 wins, eight have come via submission.

Watch Chael Sonnen praise Aljamain Sterling for his ground game below: