Mixed martial arts is a tough business. While most fighters go through years failing to capture a championship belt, fighters like UFC star Aljamain Sterling find themselves at the top of their respective divisions, only to lose their titles to other fighters.
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Sterling has always been a contender in the bantamweight division and finally got his chance to win bantamweight gold in March 2021. He would become champion when Peter Yan hit him with an illegal knee. After becoming champion, Sterling received all kinds of criticism for receiving the title.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 13: Aljamain Sterling looks on during their featherweight fight at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Aljamain Sterling revealed he almost retired after losing to Sean…
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 13: Aljamain Sterling looks on during their featherweight fight at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Aljamain Sterling revealed he was on the verge of retiring after losing to Sean O’Malley.
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Despite all this, he defended his title again against Yan, TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. Sterling quieted all the haters with three solid title defenses before facing featherweight star Sean O’Malley.
At UFC 292 in August 2023, Sterling suffered a second-round KO/TKO loss. Sterling would defeat Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in April. Despite his recovery, Sterling announced he would almost retire after the loss to O’Malley.
Sterling joined “The Ariel Helwani Show” to talk about the possibility of quitting the fight game.
Sterling announces that after his loss to O’Malley, he considered retiring from MMA and potentially going into coaching.
“I thought maybe I had trained… I was just a champion, but there was a lot of the mental aspect of being forced to fight. And I know people will say, ‘Shut up, you signed.’ the contract.” Before signing the contract there were many “no”s.”
Apparently, Sterling revealed that he said “no” to the UFC many times to agreeing to a fight with O’Malley. The former champion also revealed that his “Funk Harbor” rum had a failed launch, which he hoped to capitalize on with the organization.
Sterling also revealed that not being able to take time off between fights as promised has not happened, leading him to contemplate retirement. Despite talk of retirement and no clear path to UFC gold in sight, Sterling is now ready to take on
While Sterling is all but gone, he will now face Movsar Evolev at UFC 310 on December 7. The pair were supposed to fight on October 5, but Sterling injured himself during sparring. Now they will finally face each other in less than a month.
Sterling also believes a big win against the undefeated Evolev should push him towards a title shot against featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.
Sterling is the #9 ranked featherweight in the UFC. With Topuria having eliminated Max Holloway, his next opponent will likely be number one contender Alexander Volkanovski.
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Volkanovski and Topuria have verbally agreed to a rematch, but it appears Sterling believes he should be in the featherweight title conversation. If Sterling defeats the No. 5 ranked contender in Evolev, that could be a possibility.
Regardless, Sterling is ready to chase UFC gold once again.
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