Michael Bisping thinks Aljamain Sterling shouldn't share the octagon with Petr Yan for a third time and reveals who he thinks the bantamweight champion should fight next.
Sterling initially claimed the title in a fashion no fighter has ever done before. Absorbing a lethal illegal knee in the fourth round of his UFC 259 clash against Yan, 'Funk Master' won the belt via disqualification as he was unable to continue. The result led the vast majority of fans and media to regard Yan as the true champion.
In their rematch, Sterling got the job done via a split-decision win. The debate raged on as many fans and critics had 'No Mercy' winning three rounds. It all came down to two judges giving 'Funk Master' the first round.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Bisping had the following to say:
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"Aljamain, he's the champ, he deserves to move on from Petr Yan. I don't think they should do a third match. I think it should be Sterling vs. TJ Dillashaw for the bantamweight strap."
Watch Michael Bisping's views on Sterling's next opponent below:
Sterling called out TJ Dillashaw in the post-fight press conference after his UFC 273 bout. Now, it looks likely that Dillashaw will be his next opponent.
Aljamain Sterling fires shots at Josh Thomson and John McCarthy
There was more than a little controversy surrounding the judging at UFC 273. UFC president Dana White felt the judges "blew" the decision and believes Petr Yan should have gotten the nod instead.
On a recent episode of his Weighing In podcast, 'Big John' McCarthy agreed with White's assessment, which angered Sterling. When McCarthy's co-host Josh Thomson suggested that Aljamain Sterling bring that same energy to Dana White as he did to the former UFC referee, 'Funk Master' fired back:
"Josh… Respectfully. GTFO my 🥜 You and John can go bl*w each other in the back studio for all I care. You guys constantly dog me for ratings. P*** off already. FTR, I s**t on Dana’s opinion too. Now have a s***ty day!"
McCarthy and Thomson's criticism of Aljamain Sterling has been relatively light compared to that of many others. However, in the episode, they did not term the decision as a robbery as it was a closely contested battle.