A controversial decision marred the bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker which reminded fans about Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling. UFC fans have been left confused about the rules of the fight as similar situations were dealt with differently.
At UFC 294, Ankalaev faced Walker in a Light Heavyweight bout. Just minutes into the first round, the Russian fighter landed an inadvertent knee to Walker as he had one leg down. It seemed to be an illegal attack as you cannot knee an opponent who is on the ground. The cage-side doctor (the same one who tried to ignore a low blow earlier in the night) was called in to check on Walker.
The doctor was heard talking to Walker and asking him questions in English (not Walker’s first language). After Walker hesitated to answer the questions, the doctor asked the referee to call off the fight. There was confusion all around and UFC CEO Dana White came into the Octagon to calm the situation.
Why should I follow a rule that has no punishment if I break it? If he can do illegal things to take advantage. Then I can too & get a NC next time. so we are ok to kick balls ⚽️ and punch behind neck and spine too , if you kill somebody, no worries. It’s just no contest
— Johnny Walker (@JohnnyWalker) October 23, 2023
It was surprising that the match resulted in a No-Contest instead of a disqualification because of an illegal knee. Walker took to X to express his frustration. He wrote, “Why should I follow a rule that has no punishment if I break it? If he can do illegal things to take advantage. Then I can too & get a NC next time. so we are ok to kick balls and punch behind neck and spine too , if you kill somebody, no worries. It’s just no contest”
Former UFC Bantamweight champion Petr Yan also did to Sterling what Ankalaev did to Walker. However, the results of the match were surprisingly different.
Petr Yan lost his UFC Bantamweight championship in 2021 following a DQ due to an illegal knee
Yan fought Jose Aldo at UFC 251 in July 2020 for the vacant UFC Bantamweight title. He defeated Aldo via TKO in the fifth round.
In his first title defense, he faced Aljamain Sterling in March 2021 at UFC 259. In the fourth round of the match, Yan used his knee on Sterling who was down. The match was stopped due to the illegal attack and Yan was disqualified. The Russian-born fighter lost his title due to a move that resulted in a No Contest instead of a DQ at UFC 294.
Petr Yan gets DQ’d after his illegal knee to Aljamain Sterlingpic.twitter.com/QldJgWZE5W
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) March 7, 2021
In his next match against Cory Sandhagen, Yan won the interim UFC Bantamweight title. However, he lost the title match against Sterling via a split decision just months later.