Aljamain Sterling feels that Round 3 of the bantamweight title bout at UFC 333 was considerably closer than most people believe.
UFC 333 Title Fight Outcome
Petr Yan secured a unanimous decision victory against Merab Dvalishvili during the co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The three judges scored the opening two rounds for Dvalishvili, while Yan captured the remaining rounds on the judges’ scorecards.
Yan mounted a comeback in the third round by hurting Dvalishvili with a late body kick, though Sterling expressed doubts about whether that single moment warranted giving Yan the entire round.
Speaking on his “Weekly Scraps” podcast, Sterling explained that judging remains subjective when one competitor lands a high volume of punches while another connects with a couple of significant strikes that sway the round. He noted that while damage should be a scoring factor, the late body kick did not put Dvalishvili on the canvas or leave him visibly rocked on unsteady legs.
Sterling described the third frame as a coin-flip round and noted he would have preferred a 10-10 score, though he acknowledged that outcome never happens. He added that neither fighter clearly stood out overall and while Yan finished strongly, the round-by-round scoring failed to provide a definitive answer.
Trilogy History
Dvalishvili previously defeated Yan in March 2023 utilizing a relentless grappling strategy. Yan subsequently claimed the title back with a striking display and secured the trilogy victory through his comeback performance at UFC 333, a bout where Dvalishvili set a new personal record by attempting 58 takedowns.
Sports.yahoo.com originally published this reporting.
