Khabib Nurmagomedov “Would Not Prefer” Aljamain Sterling’s Title Reign
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks that the way that newly-crowned UFC bantamweight title holder Aljamain Sterling earned the belt would not be his preferred method to get the belt.
Nurmagomedov has been retired from the UFC for a little under a year, but still pays close attention to the sport he used to dominate at the highest level. He opted to leave the sport following his most recent win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October.
Sterling has been the target of criticism around the MMA community for how he’s handled getting the UFC belt. He earned the win over Petr Yan at UFC 259 in Round 4 by disqualification, after Yan landed an illegal knee to a grounded Sterling in a fight that the incumbent champion had dominated for a good portion of the bout.
Nurmagomedov recently sat down for an interview with UFC Russia, and weighed in on the drama surrounding Yan vs. Sterling and whether or not he sees Sterling as a legitimate champion.
“Well, I would not prefer to become a champion the way [Aljamain] Sterling did,” Nurmagomedov said. “I think he understands it, and his people do, but they try to support him, and I understand them. I would not like to be the champion who almost lost and won his belt just because his opponent broke the rules.”
“If Petr [Yan] properly does his homework, he will benefit a lot from this. First of all, he needs to continue his training process and stay hungry and focused. I think he will be given a fight this year, or even a rematch, and he deserves it. Anyways, I think he needs it, and it will help him a lot. I hope he finds a way to use it for his own advantage.”
Sterling and Yan are widely expected to fight in title rematch later this year, as Sterling has taken some time off to recover from the injury he suffered in their first fight. The bantamweight title picture had been on hold since their first fight, and it’ll be a breath of fresh air to see those two finally get some sort of closure after their controversial first bout.
Do you agree with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s comments regarding Aljamain Sterling?
