Sterling Confirms Title As UFC Bantamweight Champ

In a five-round fight, the champion unified his belt with the interim version, thanks to his superior grappling. Sterling made it obvious in the rematch that he wanted to fight at a slower tempo after gassing in the first bout.

As both combatants had an extended feeling-out period, the first round was fought at such a slow tempo.

As the action moved into Round two, that did not last long. Sterling got a clinch early on and turned it into a takedown, then used a body triangle to take Yan’s back, putting Yan in a vulnerable position. The rest of the round was spent in survival mode, battling off Aljo’s ground and pound attacks.

In the third round, Sterling was able to reclaim his favoured position. By bringing Yan to the mat and once again becoming his rucksack, he proved the second frame was no fluke.

In the fourth round, the interim champion bounced back. He rocked Sterling with an early left hook, which resulted to a takedown. With his particular brand of grappling, he spent the majority of the round in top position and earned himself a round.

The fifth round never quite reached the degree of intensity one might expect with the fight potentially on the line.

Yan successfully resisted multiple takedown attempts by Sterling and had the most exciting moment of the period with a soaring knee that nearly hit flush.

With the win, Sterling’s greatest prize is validation. In his first win versus Yan, Aljo won the title in less-than-ideal conditions. After hitting a knee to the head while Sterling was on the mat, the former champion was disqualified.

It was a disappointing finale for a fighter who had earned his shot at the title with a five-fight winning streak that included a first-round submission of Cory Sandhagen.

This time, there was a lot less debate. For over a year, Sterling had to deal with criticism about how he gained his belt. As the division’s true champion, he can now put the matter behind him.