A few days after Aljamain Sterling lost his Bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, and not just the belt. On his YouTube channel, Sterling said that post UFC 292 is the first time since 2019 that he hasn’t had to deal with rehab, surgery, or fighting.
Following his victory over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 238 in June 2019, he was injured and out of action for almost a year. Sterling was then on the treatment table again shortly after his comeback fight with Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250, which he won via first-round submission. Neck problems followed during the period where he fought Petr Yan twice, and a torn bicep hampered Funkmaster’s preparations before his impressive victory over the Olympic Champion, Henry Cejudo, at UFC 288 in May of this year.
August 2023 marks the first time that Sterling doesn’t have to worry about fighting; He can take some time for himself and relax for a while. The way Sterling spoke about the topic, this upcoming period of downtime is much needed in order to recharge the batteries.
Aljamain Sterling. Heel to babyface?
Sterling acknowledged that he had become a ‘heel’ in the eyes of UFC fans. Playing the villain role wasn’t an intentional play from Sterling, but it’s one he embraced following his disqualification victory over Petr Yan at UFC 259, after which he became the Bantamweight Champion. The reaction from fans and media has been somewhat harsh considering the force of Yan’s illegal knee, which struck a grounded Sterling in the head.
Going into last weekend’s title fight with Sean O’Malley, Sterling was booed all week as fans rooted for the extremely popular O’Malley. After the defeat, the mood has changed towards Sterling. Much of this can be attributed to the post-fight press conference where the former champion detailed his tough upbringing and the trials and tribulations he has faced on his path towards the pinnacle of the sport.
For some unknown reason, people are now starting to acknowledge how impressive Sterling’s resume is and recognize he is potentially the greatest Bantamweight of all time. Prior to Sterling’s defeat at UFC 292, he had beaten Cory Sandhagen, Petr Yan twice, T.J Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo in his previous five fights. It was a remarkable run against the very best the sport has to offer. His popularity is increasing, and the heel has inadvertently become a babyface.
Respect for O’Malley
‘Suga’ Sean has taken an interesting path to become the UFC champion, which Sterling respects. Early in his UFC career, O’Malley fought multiple unranked opponents, racking up an impressive highlight reel, which no doubt raised his profile considerably. Sterling pointed out that this was smart from O’Malley as he was still getting paid the same as he would have done had he taken riskier fights. With Sterling having beaten many of the other top contenders besides his friend and training partner, Merab Dvalishvili, an opportunity presented itself to O’Malley, and it’s one he grabbed with both hands (well, his right hand):
”I literally stepped with the cross, planted my foot, and as I saw him [O’Malley] hop backward, I saw the right hand coming, and I just go [to myself] ‘brace for impact,’ and he got me” said Sterling as he described the shot from O’Malley which ultimately led to the fight being stopped by the referee, Marc Goddard.
Sterling spoke about O’Malley’s fighting style and praised how difficult he is to fight, claiming that people who say the key to beating O’Malley is by taking him down don’t understand fighting. Kicking his legs is one of the only ways to be effective against O’Malley because his footwork and agility are so impressive. If you chase him down, ‘Malley will capitalize on mistakes, particularly as his long frame means he has a substantial reach advantage over most in the UFC bantamweight division.
However long Aljamain Sterling decides to sit on the sidelines remains to be seen. It’s also unclear at which weight class he will return. One thing we do know is that his return will be highly anticipated. Funkmaster is a potential Hall of Famer, and he’s finally beginning to get the recognition he deserves.
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