Aljamain Sterling on Mark Madsen: ‘Good luck selling that outside of Denmark’

Aljamain Sterling isn’t convinced Mark Madsen has the personality to become a name in the UFC. The ‘Funk Master’ gave his take on the Danish fighter who made his debut in the co-main event of UFC Copenhagen last Saturday.

Beast of a fighter and athlete but the personality… idk how gravitating that will be for the UFC. I mean no disrespect by this, but good luck selling that outside of Denmark

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) September 28, 2019

“Beast of a fighter and athlete but the personality… idk how gravitating that will be for the UFC,” Sterling wrote on Twitter shortly after Madsen’s post-fight interview. “I mean no disrespect by this, but good luck selling that outside of Denmark.”

Mark Madsen is an Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler from Denmark who left wrestling to focus on building a career in the UFC. He started his MMA journey in Denmark in 2013 and achieved a 8-0 undefeated record before his UFC debut in Copenhagen.

His wrestling background came in handy as Madsen dominated his opponent, Danilo Belluardo in the co-main event. He defeated him in just over a minute of the first round, much to the elation of the Danish fans in attendance. 

Aljamain Sterling began his career in wrestling so was quick to acknowledge Mark Madsen’s performance. However, The Funk Master believes his personality won’t have much appeal outside of Europe.

His comments rubbed some people the wrong way. But the Bantamweight fighter was quick to defend himself:

https://twitter.com/funkmasterMMA/status/1178047990033977345

Why must you be a character? Man, everyone just goes straight for the negative with simple statements. The man barely spoke more than 5-6 sentences. Simple observation that anyone with a brain can make. Still a beast of a fighter either way https://t.co/qNAJnLEWja

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) September 28, 2019

Someone gets me. Nothing more, nothing less. Ppl let their insecurities project towards me on opinions. UFC could prove me dead wrong. And guess what, I’m fine with that. But history shows otherwise within the promotion https://t.co/8JjNNWGL1a

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) September 28, 2019

In an era where the attitude of Nate Diaz or the trash-talking antics of Henry Cejudo are what captures the attention of fans, Madsen will likely have to do a little more if he doesn’t want to be perceived as dry — at least according to Sterling.

“Undefeated still, and what a moment, what a gratifying moment,” Madsen said in his post-fight interview with Dan Hardy. “I would like to thank my team; Martin Kampmann my coach; my manager Ali Abdelaziz sitting in Vegas. Thank you to the UFC, this is absolutely amazing.”

Madsen’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz is well known for representing Khabib Nurmagomedov, who often avoids his press obligations and shies away from the media spotlight. Apart from Conor McGregor, Nurmagomedov rarely speaks negatively or calls out other fighters but has built a remarkable career within the organization. Abdelaziz could be hoping to use a similar formula in the case of Madsen.

Do you agree with this critique from Aljamain Sterling? Do you think the former Olympian will need to jump on the trash-talking bandwagon if he wants any staying power in the UFC? Let us know in the comments section below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/30/2019.