UFC 300 may have been the final time we noticed Aljmain Sterling contained in the Octagon.
The previous Bantamweight champion made his debut at Featherweight on the historic night time towards divisional staple, Calvin Kattar, this previous weekend (April 13, 2024). Fortuitously for Sterling, he acquired again within the win column with a one-sided unanimous determination.
Sterling’s transfer to 145 kilos got here immediately after he dropped the title to Sean O’Malley through a second spherical technical knockout (watch highlights) at UFC 292 this previous August 2023. Had issues once more gone south for Sterling in his most up-to-date outing, that might have been it in blended martial arts (MMA) for the “Funk Grasp.”
“Battle day within the again room was after I actually began to second guess lots of every little thing,” Sterling mentioned on The MMA Hour. “I used to be simply having doubts of, like, ‘Man, if this doesn’t go nicely, I don’t know the place I’m going from right here. Do I proceed to maintain preventing? Or do I simply name it quits?’ [That] sort of factor. And people had been actual ideas I had. As a result of I’m like, on the finish of the day, I’m not simply attempting to simply accumulate a verify. There’s so many guys who stick round simply to do this. I respect them, however I’m right here to be primary, man.
“If it’s similar to, I’m simply going to be within the pack?” he continued. “I made sufficient cash, I feel I’ve finished sufficient with my profession the place I’m like, ‘Alright, it’s in all probability time to discover a new job.’ That’s sort of the way in which I take a look at issues. In the event you’re not first, you’re sort of final.”
Sterling, 34, has arguably been one of the crucial underappreciated fighters and champions of the previous six years. The O’Malley loss is Sterling’s lone setback in a stretch of 11 fights (24-4 total). In the end, Sterling is round to be the most effective and which means persevering with his pursuit of a second divisional title.
“It depends upon how it might’ve occurred,” Sterling mentioned. “I feel if I had acquired my ass utterly kicked by Calvin Kattar, I used to be in all probability finished. And nobody knew about that. I didn’t share these sentiments with anyone, even my fiancee. It’s simply a kind of issues. I discussed to her like, ‘Effectively, if I can’t beat him, I don’t know,’ however I didn’t actually go into element what that really meant. I simply sort of mentioned it, like, ‘We’ll see what occurs. I don’t know what’s going to occur.’ That’s sort of the way in which I stored it with all people.
“My inner ideas had been, ‘This man is nice, but when I’m claiming to be who I feel I’m and who I wish to be, man, I really feel like I ought to be capable to beat a man like this. If I can’t, then how am I ever going to anticipate to beat the man who’s sitting on high of the throne proper now?’” he concluded.
For full UFC 300 outcomes and LIVE play-by-play click on HERE.
