Petr Yan explains why he landed a forbidden blow

At a press conference after UFC 259, Petr Yan spoke in detail about the forbidden punch he landed on Aljamain Sterling, and after which he was disqualified.

“To be honest, I didn't even understand what they told me. I was more focused on his hands as he lifted them off the ground. The video will show how he raised his hands from the ground, I did not see that he was sitting on his knee, I thought that he was squatting. After the fall of Aljemain, I did not immediately realize that this was a forbidden blow. Again, I saw that his hands were not on the canvas. I thought I did everything right. I didn’t notice that one of his knees was touching the canvas...” Yan said.