Aljamain Sterling News
Matchmaking the top-15 of the UFC's bantamweight division
Cole Shelton - June 9, 2020
At UFC 250, the bantamweight division was on full display with Cody Stamann, Sean O’Malley, Alajmain Sterling, and Cody Garbrandt all picking up wins. It was a massive night for the division, but the event left a lot of questions unanswered. Currently, the UFC’s bantamweight title is vacant after Henry Cejudo shockingly retired after UFC 249. It is expected Petr Yan will fight Jose Aldo at UFC 251 for the vacant belt, but after that, there is a ton of options for fights. So, here is what I think should be next for the top-10 of the bantamweight division.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen winner gets title shot, says Dana White
Adam Martin - June 5, 2020
UFC president Dana White confirmed that the winner of the UFC 250 bantamweight bout between Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen will get a title shot. Aside from the main event between UFC women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer, Sterling vs. Sandhagen is the most important fight at this weekend’s UFC 250 card. And now, according to the UFC bossman during the UFC 250 pre-fight media scrum, the winner of this fight will be getting a title shot at 135lbs.
Aljamain Sterling reveals he was knocked out by “Ninja” Zabit Magomedsharipov in 2017 training session
Natasha Hooper - June 4, 2020
Aljamain Sterling revealed he was knocked out by Zabit Magomedsharipov during training. In an interview with TheScore, the UFC bantamweight contender described sparring with the Russian fighter for the first time.
Aljamain Sterling, Cory Sandhagen targeted to collide at UFC 250
Tom Taylor - May 21, 2020
Another big bout has been added to the UFC 250, as Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen are now set to collide in a crucial bantamweight fight on the card. Sterling announced that he’s fighting at UFC 250 on social media on Thursday morning.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen discussed for June 6 event
Adam Martin - May 6, 2020
The UFC is reportedly discussing a bantamweight bout between top contenders Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen for an upcoming event on June 6. Sterling vs. Sandhagen was previously targeted to take place on the UFC San Diego card that was supposed to take place on May 16 before it was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic. However, the bout was never confirmed, and when the event fizzled out so did all of the matchups that were set to take place on the event, including the main event between lightweights Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker.
Henry Cejudo outlines his plans following victory at UFC 249, Aljamain Sterling responds
Harry Kettle - May 6, 2020
UFC champion Henry Cejudo has outlined his plans following UFC 249 this weekend — with divisional rival Aljamain Sterling taking exception to it. Cejudo will defend the UFC Bantamweight Championship against former king Dominick Cruz on Saturday night in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to the event itself being controversial, the decision to make Cruz the number one contender has also received quite a bit of pushback.
Aljamain Sterling feels “left behind" by the UFC following Cruz vs. Cejudo booking
Natasha Hooper - April 24, 2020
Aljamain Sterling feels “left behind by the UFC” due to Dominick Cruz’s title shot against Henry Cejudo. The bantamweight champion, Cejudo, was scheduled to defend his title against Jose Aldo at UFC 250. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Aldo was forced to stop his training camp in Brazil and ultimately withdrew from their bout. The UFC rushed to find a replacement, and the division’s former champion, Dominick Cruz, stepped up to the plate.
Aljamain Sterling claims “sensitive” Dominick Cruz blocked him on Twitter, responds to callout from Frankie Edgar
Natasha Hooper - April 20, 2020
Aljamain Sterling has called out Dominick Cruz for blocking him on social media, and also responded to a callout by Frankie Edgar. “The Funk Master” has been inching towards a title shot but the former champion, Cruz, has beaten him to it. The current bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo was scheduled to defend his title against Jose Aldo next. However, his Brazilian opponent had to pull out of their scheduled matchup due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen added to UFC San Diego
Adam Martin - March 23, 2020
A pivotal bantamweight bout between top-ranked contenders Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen is the latest addition to the UFC San Diego card. Sandhagen had been tabbed to fight former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, but “The Dominator” reportedly was not interested in the matchup. According to a report from Aaron Bronsteter of TSN, Sandhagen will instead take on Sterling in a battle between two of the top-five bantamweights in the world.
VIDEO | UFC fighters join forces to sing 'Face the Pain' during COVID-19 quarantine
Harry Kettle - March 23, 2020
Notable members of the MMA community, including a handful of fighters, have gathered together to sing the famous UFC anthem “Face The Pain”. The coronavirus outbreak has generated a series of intriguing, and somewhat bizarre, reactions from around the world with everyone from influencers to athletes to celebrities trying to raise the spirits of those who are self-isolating.
Aljamain Sterling says UFC considering four-man bantamweight tournament for next title shot
Adam Martin - February 25, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling says the UFC is considering booking a four-man tournament to determine the next contender at 135lbs. It was officially announced on Monday that UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo will take on Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 250 on May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. By giving Aldo the title shot, it left the other top contenders at 135lbs without the opportunity to fight for the belt even though there are at least four other fighters more deserving based on merit.
Aljamain Sterling trashes Henry Cejudo vs. Jose Aldo matchup
Adam Martin - February 24, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling trashed the UFC’s decision to hand Jose Aldo a title shot against Henry Cejudo coming off of two losses. The UFC officially announced on Monday that Cejudo will defend the UFC bantamweight championship against Aldo at UFC 250, which takes place on May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The decision to award Aldo the title shot coming off of two straight losses to Alexander Volkanovski and Marlon Moraes is a controversial one considering the number of title contenders at 135lbs coming off of wins, including Sterling.
Aljamain Sterling rips Henry Cejudo following 'Aljamima' comment, ‘Triple C’ responds
Harry Kettle - February 18, 2020
Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo continue to go back and forth on social media following Cejudo’s recent “Aljamima” remark. “Triple C” has been keeping himself pretty busy over the course of the last few months – and we don’t mean inside the Octagon.
Karyn Bryant calls out Henry Cejudo for racist comment used against Aljamain Sterling
Natasha Hooper - February 18, 2020
Henry Cejudo’s trash-talking antics have landed him in hot water. MMA reporter Karyn Bryant has called out the bantamweight champion for his use of racially loaded trash talk against Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. “Triple C” has received scrutiny recently for calling out Jose Aldo to fight in his next title defence. Despite Aldo’s long list of MMA accomplishments, the UFC legend is coming off two back-to-back losses and is ranked number 6 in the division. No. 2 ranked bantamweight Aljamain Sterling joined Ariel Helwani’s podcast yesterday and accused Cejudo of picking an easier fight to boost ticket sales.
Henry Cejudo takes aim at Aljamain Sterling and “ugly communist potato” Petr Yan in latest video
Natasha Hooper - February 17, 2020
Henry Cejudo has slammed Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan while responding to criticism for his callout of Jose Aldo. Tonight Aljamain Sterling joined Ariel Helwani’s MMA podcast to discuss potential bouts. Number one on “The Funkmaster’s” radar is the “The Boogeyman,” Petr Yan. Sterling revealed that he had a run-in with the Russian fighter at the UFC Performance Institute, and has previously called him out for a fight on Twitter.
Petr Yan responds to Aljamain Sterling callout
Natasha Hooper - January 31, 2020
Aljamain Sterling wants the UFC spotlight focused on him. To do so, he wants to take centre stage against number three ranked bantamweight, Petr Yan. On social media, the New York native called for a showdown against the surging Russian prospect. He said:
Henry Cejudo fires back at Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling, confirms who is next to bend the knee
Chris Taylor - January 4, 2020
Henry Cejudo has responded to Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling following a plethora of callouts from the top ranked bantamweight contenders. The UFC’s current bantamweight champion, Cejudo, is currently awaiting his next assignment but has been campaigning for a fight with former featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo.
Aljamain Sterling on Aldo, Edgar's bantamweight moves: 'It doesn’t make a ton of sense'
Tom Taylor - December 2, 2019
Former UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo will both soon debut in the bantamweight division. Top bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling isn’t sure how these two decorated former champs will perform in this lighter weight class. “Two belts in two different weight classes would be historic, but they’re old in fight years, they’re older in age, and they’re fighting guys who are almost a decade younger than them – so it’s going to be very interesting to see how they do,” Sterling said on UFC Unfiltered recently (via MMA Junkie). “I’m not wishing them any type of ill will, but at the same time, I just wish they hug each other for 15 minutes and have boring fights.