Petr Yan after his win over Cory Sandhagen
Petr Yan beat Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event of UFC 267
Petr Yan faced Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event of UFC 267 to win the interim bantamweight title.
In one of the greatest strike fests in recent times, both the fighters stood on the ground for the entire 25 minutes and delivered a magnificent spectacle.
But, Yan had just done enough to secure the interim bantamweight belt. All three judges scored the contest, 49-46 in favour of the Russian.
It was a big respite for Yan, who had lost his bantamweight title at UFC 259 in a rather controversial way, to Aljamain Sterling.
Now, he is just one win away from reclaiming the belt he “didn’t deserve to lose.”
At the post-fight winner announcement, Joe Martinez who had taken the place of Bruce Buffer, called Yan a two-time champ, instead of referring to him as the interim champ.
It was pointed out by Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, who tweeted:
“Official: Petr Yan def. Cory Sandhagen via UD (49-46 x 2). Interesting that he was called a two-time champ and not interim champion when Joe Martinez announced him as winner.”
Petr Yan vs Cory Sandhagen delivered as expected. Although, Sandhagen couldn’t get the W, he showed the heart of a warrior, and the volume of strikes he threw was just unbelievable.
The classic display won the Fight of the Night, as both the fighters walked away with an extra $50,000.
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