Aljamain Sterling News

Mike Pendleton - March 27, 2019

If the UFC is preparing to make a bantamweight title fight between Marlon Moraes and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo as Dana White said they were, Aljamain Sterling will be looking for an opponent, and Pedro Munhoz might be the one. Munhoz most recently defeated former champion Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235 and finds himself on a three-fight winning streak, the same as Aljamain Sterling. With a potential title fight between Cejudo and Moraes possibly in the works, a matchup between Sterling and Munhoz makes sense for both sides.

Mike Pendleton - March 26, 2019

The recent news of TJ Dillashaw relinquishing his title due to an adverse finding in his drug test after his fight against flyweight champion Henry Cejudo sent a shockwave through the MMA world. Dillashaw faced Cejudo in attempt to become a two-weight world champion in a time where the future of the flyweight division was up in the air. Henry Cejudo put a halt to the plans of Dillashaw and the UFC potentially shutting down the flyweight division when he defeated Dillashaw in a quick first-round TKO. Now that Dillashaw has relinquished his title and left the bantamweight division and title up for grabs, many fighters of the bantamweight division are speaking up for their chance to get the vacant belt.

Tom Taylor - March 21, 2019

Things are very uncertain in the UFC flyweight and bantamweight divisions at present. At flyweight, reigning champ Henry Cejudo is floating the idea of moving up to bantamweight, while there’s also been rampant talk of shutting down his division altogether.

Cole Shelton - March 20, 2019

Unfortunate news came out this morning that TJ Dillashaw would be relinquishing his bantamweight title due to ‘adverse’ findings in a USADA drug sample. In addition, it was announced that TJ Dillashaw will be suspended for a year, retroactive to January 19.

Cole Shelton - February 27, 2019

Cody Stamann was preparing to fight in March before the UFC even called him. Then, about a month he was offered the chance to fight at UFC 235, where he is set to take on Alejandro Perez. Stamann, who is coming off of a submission loss to Aljamain Sterling in September is confident he was what it takes to beat Perez. Frankly, Stamann doesn’t even think Perez is that good.

Mike Straus - February 18, 2019

On Sunday night, the Octagon finally took center stage on the largest sports platform in the world, as the UFC debuted on ESPN. Whether it was the return of Cain Velasquez or the first Gracie to earn a victory inside the Octagon in 25 years, UFC on ESPN 1 in Phoenix, Arizona definitely had its moments.

Drake Riggs - December 11, 2018

With the current champion at 135-pounds TJ Dillashaw dropping down to flyweight in the hopes of claiming a second title, his division must stay active until he returns. And that’s just what they’ll be doing as AZCentral’s Greg Moore has reported that a top 10 bantamweight collision between Jimmie ‘El Terror’ Rivera and Aljamain ‘Funkmaster’ Sterling is on for UFC Phoenix on February 17. This card is the first UFC card to be televised on the ESPN channel.

Tom Taylor - September 10, 2018

Last weekend, on the undercard of UFC 228, long-time UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling continued to distance himself from a tough knockout loss to Marlon Moraes, submitting streaking prospect Cody Stamann with a crafty kneebar in the second round. “Let’s just day Cody wasn’t as flexible as Renan Barao tonight.” Sterling told MMAjunkie of his big submission victory backstage at UFC 228. “I heard his knee pop, and I thought he was going to fight through it. Because I know what it is, that outside ligament gets popped, the LCL, it might even be the PCL (or) ACL. Who knows? It’s just one of those freaky submissions, man. It’s a kneebar.”

Drake Riggs - December 18, 2017

UFC Fight Night 123 in Fresno, California ended up being a short night for the “Funkmaster” Aljamain Sterling. Unfortunately, he wasn’t on the positive end of the results. The 14-3 top 10 Bantamweight suffered his first career loss via knockout to Marlon Moraes on December 9 and the knockout was rather nasty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtqdGGz74Ow

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2017

Last night, on the main card of the UFC’s anticipated debut in the fight town of Fresno, California, former World Series of Fighting bantamweight king Marlon Moraes stepped into the cage to battle long-time contender Aljamain Sterling. Since joining the UFC roster, Moraes has looked good, but not great, losing a debatable decision to Raphael Assuncao before winning a similarly contentious decision over John Dodson. When he stepped into the cage with Sterling, he nixed any chance of another close decision, as he authored an absolutely hellacious knockout, putting his foe down with a first-round knee.

Chris Taylor - December 9, 2017

A key bantamweight scrap between Marlon Moraes and Aljamain Sterling took place at tonight’s UFC Fight Night event in Fresno, California. Round one begins and Moraes lands a devastating knee that sends Sterling crashing to the canvas! This one is all over just seconds in. Wow Marlon Moraes!

Tom Taylor - October 18, 2017

This December 9, the UFC will debut in Fresno, California, with UFC Fight Night 123. Though this UFC Fresno card is still some distance away, it’s already begun to take shape with a bevy of exciting fights. Last week, we learned that long-time bantamweight contender Bryan Caraway will be returning on the card, taking on rising talent Luke Sanders. Now, the card has been bolstered by another bantamweight contender bout, as UFC officials have announced New York’s Aljamain Sterling is set to return opposite Brazil’s Rani Yahya.

Tom Taylor - August 22, 2017

Earlier this month, UFC bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt and bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling got into it on Twitter. This beef started innocently enough, but blew up when Garbrandt called Sterling “boy,” a comment that was immediately criticized for it’s racial undertone. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Garbrandt explained where his beef with Sterling began,

Tom Taylor - August 14, 2017

On Sunday, reigning UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and rising bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling got into it on Twitter. While this back-and-forth began as fairly innocent Twitter beef, it unfortunately wasn’t long before accusations of racism began to fly. See the pair’s fiery exchange below:

Chris Taylor - July 29, 2017

A 140-pound catchweight bout between former bantamweight champion Renan Barao and Aljamain Sterling took place during tonight’s UFC 214 prelims from Anaheim, California. Round one begins and Barao opens up with a body kick. Sterling responds with one of his own. Barao leaps in with a left hand and then a leg kick. Sterling presses forward and just misses getting caught with a spinning head kick from Renabn. Barao with a leg kick. Sterling returns fires with one to the body. Barao trips Sterling and winds up on top. Sterling immediately rolls for a leg lock. He sinks it in but Barao catches him with a good shot. Another good punch from Barao and he takes top position. The Brazilian quickly passes to half guard but Aljamain scrambles back to full guard. Barao with a left hand. He moves to half guard and lands an elbow. Renan with a some knees to the body. Sterling scrambes back with full guard. He attempts a sweep but Barao says no. Sterling looks to lock up a triangle but Barao postures up and rains down left. The horn sounds to end round one.

Tom Taylor - July 2, 2017

Originally, Aljamain Sterling expected to fight Renan Barao at bantamweight at UFC 214 this July 29. Unfortunately, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) ultimately decided to forbid Barao from fighting at bantamweight given his previous difficulty cutting to the weight class. As such, Sterling was asked to meet Barao at a 140-pound catchweight. While Sterling is willing to meet Barao at 140, he recently divulged to MMAFighting.com that he has not yet signed the contract to do so, as he’s hoping for a bit more money.

Chris Taylor - May 6, 2017

Aljamain Sterling goes off on the bantamweight roster, John Dodson fires back Perennial UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling (13-2 MMA) is looking to book his next opponent.

Tom Taylor - November 8, 2016

UFC welterweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and UFC bantamweight Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling are both adored by the majority of fight fans. According to an account from Sterling on the latest episode of The MMA Hour, however, the two fighters are not particularly fond of one another. Goaded on by friend and training partner Gian Villante, Sterling reluctantly recounted a heated run-in he had with Cowboy during this year’s International Fight Week, which occured around UFC 200 in July.