UFC VP explains opposing verdicts for illegal knee strikes at UFC 259 and UFC Vegas 21 Share this story For two UFC events in a row, we’ve seen illegal knee strikes end fights prematurely. The first one happened at UFC 259 between bantamweights Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. A week later, middleweight Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart were involved in the same predicament. Related The difference, however, was in the fight result. Yan vs. Sterling ended in a DQ win for the latter, while Anders vs. Stewart ended in a No Contest verdict. So what was the difference? Here’s the explanation provided by UFC Vice President for Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner.