Was the decision to disqualify Jan correct?

In a duel with Aljamein Sterling, the Russian fighter deliberately inflicted a forbidden blow, for which he suffered a commensurate punishment.

According to the rules of mixed martial arts, applicable in the state of Nevada, it is forbidden to hit the opponent while on the ground (grounded).

Violation is punishable by either forfeiture of points or disqualification, depending on whether the opponent can continue the battle.

In this case, a fighter is considered lying if he touches the ground with any three points of the body - in Sterling's case, these were two feet and a knee.

However, in 2018, this rule was amended regarding the hands - from now on, only hitting an opponent whose both hands are on the floor is considered prohibited (since many athletes began to purposefully lower one hand to the canvas).

At the same time, in the case of a knee or any other part of the body lowered to the ground, the interpretation remained the same.

This nuance concerning the hands, Ian was clarified before the fight with Sterling, as he admitted at the conference.

This could well disorient the athlete when he saw that the opponent's hands were not touching the floor.

Was it logical to give the belt to Sterling?

Unlike the disqualification itself, this decision is highly controversial.

Undoubtedly, Peter broke the rules and given the circumstances, he should have been declared a loser.

However, the Uniform Rules of Mixed Martial Arts does not say anything about whether the owner changes the title in the event of such an end to the duel or not.

As you know, this did not happen before in the UFC, so the battle of Jan and Sterling has already become historical in its own way.

As a result, the decision of the Absolute Fighting Championship turned out to be extremely controversial and even Sterling himself did not like it.

Aljemain himself was not happy with such a denouement and demonstratively took off his belt after the award, but even this did not save him from harsh criticism and ridicule from his colleagues.

At the same time, Dana White and the company could have avoided such an outcome if they had declared the title vacant.

Thus, the UFC would "kill two birds with one stone": punished Peter for a misdemeanor and made a claim for revenge.

What exactly did the corners say to Jan?

At the end of the fight, one of the most discussed topics was the work of the Russian's seconds during the fight.

Many noticed how in a key episode of the battle, Yang turned to his cornermen for advice, after which he delivered a forbidden knee blow.

Subsequently, former UFC champion in two weight categories, and now commentator Daniel Cormier, concluded that it was this instruction that led to a knee hit on Sterling's head and subsequent disqualification.

However, a day later, ESPN published a video in which you can discern what exactly his corners are saying to Jan.

A few seconds before the incident, the Russian jiu-jitsu mentor Marcos Da Matta utters the line “Just punch”.

It can be translated into Russian as “just hit”, but in English it could carry a slightly different meaning.

In it, the word "punch" means exclusively a punch, while "kick" means a foot.

Therefore, we can assume that the Brazilian prompted Peter to hit with his hands, without connecting other parts of the body, so as not to break the rules.

At the same time, Da Matta voiced his recommendations before Yang personally approached the corner.

And when asked whether to strike with a knee, he was answered by one of the two seconds, Russians.

Judging by the video, it turned out to be Alexei Sorokin, who at that moment was in the second row - next to his compatriot Denis Lavrentiev.

The reaction of all four to what happened deserves a separate comment.

If Da Matta and Lavrentiev immediately realized that Yan had broken the rules and grabbed their heads, then the others clearly did not understand the episode.

Boxing trainer John Hutchinson is especially worth noting, who said, "Yes!" On several occasions.

and threw up his hands in triumph.

Could the corners see that Sterling is not in the supine position?

This question becomes relevant in view of the appearance of a photograph on the network, in which it was practically possible to capture the moment immediately after being hit on the head by Sterling.

It shows that Sterling's right knee (third point) is a couple of centimeters from the canvas.

If before the strike it was in the same position, the fighter did not have the status of "lying", and Jan's strike was not forbidden.

In this case, Peter's corners could notice this and give him an appropriate hint.

But their location near the cell calls into question this theory.

Based on where Sterling's team was, we can conclude that Jan's corners were located directly opposite.

Then they could clearly see only Aljamein's left leg, while the right knee was slightly farther and could be obscured by shorts.

Under these conditions, they are unlikely to be able to unequivocally answer the question of whether Peter has the right to knee.

Especially considering the advice given by Sorokin, who was sitting in the second row.

It is also worth paying special attention to photography.

On the one hand, it can be evidence of Jan's innocence, but here you need to take into account several nuances.

Firstly, in the picture, Aljemain was already hit in the face, which could well have forced him to change his body position and lift his knee off the ground.

Second, in any case, Yang acted shortsightedly and took unnecessary risks.

The Russian had many options for the continuation (punches to the head, an attempt to "guillotine", going behind the back and strangulation from behind), but chose the most dangerous one, for which he paid.

And it was he who made the final decision, not his corners.

View this post on Instagram

Publication from ESPN MMA (@espnmma)

Was Sterling really faking?

There is no definite answer to this question.

The blow to the temple turned out to be very sensitive, and Sterling really could not come to his senses for a long time.

However, it is possible that Aljemain could play along a little after referee Mark Smith said on the move that Peter deliberately hit his opponent.

Thus, the American could realize that if he refused to continue the duel, he would be declared the winner.

If the guilt of the Russian was not proven, the fight could be declared invalid, and the belt could remain with the current owner.

On the other hand, Sterling received serious damage and was unlikely to be able to fight on equal terms with Ian in the end.

Especially considering that by this time he was already noticeably tired and began to give way.

If he had decided to continue the fight in such a state, then in the shortest possible time he would have been knocked out and repeated the fate of Edson Barbosa.

In 2015, he missed a prohibited strike in the battle with Tony Ferguson, but declared his readiness to fight, although he was in a very serious condition.

The American took advantage of this and soon caught him strangling D'Ars.

Will Yang get a chance for revenge?

Apparently, the return duel between Sterling and Ian is only a matter of time.

This has already been said by the head of the UFC Dana White and the manager of the Russian Sayat Abdrakhmanov.

According to media sources, the American himself is not against it.

Although his opinion is unlikely to be of serious interest to matchmakers.

Everyone understands that his victory was rather an accident, and he himself has no right to dictate conditions.

Therefore, the only question is whether Peter will be considered worthy to fight the return of the belt or will they decide to punish more seriously.

At the same time, there are already applicants for Jan's place.

First of all, this is the ex-champion TJ Dillashaw, who was suspended for doping in January.

It is possible that he will demand the right to fight for the belt in the very near future, and the UFC will not resist the opportunity to organize a fight with the participation of one of its main stars.

Also, do not write off Henry Sejudo, who recently announced his desire to resume his career.

Yes, the Olympic champion in Beijing is ready to wait for the outcome of the revenge, but the decision still remains with the leadership.