Jake’s Takes – the curious case of Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling is a name we’re all familiar with in the MMA world. The reigning UFC bantamweight champion is a popular, yet polarising, figure in the community. Today, I’m going to look deep into what has made the champ the character he is today.

This is my two cents on it all – this is Jake’s Takes!

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Our story begins with a promising 135lb prospect from Uniondale, New York. In only his fifth pro fight, the young Sterling took hold of the CFFC bantamweight title. He went on to successfully defend the title a further three times, all by rear-naked-choke.

At 8-0, the UFC noticed Sterling’s talents and booked him into a short-notice bout at UFC 170. After an opponent switch, Sterling would debut on the big stage against newcomer Cody Gibson. The promotion decided to keep the New Yorker on after a unanimous decision win, booking him for another fight a few months later. This time, Sterling would stop Hugo Viana by TKO.

Sterling was pitted with veteran Takeya Mizugaki, which was seen as a decent step-up in competition. Proving his worth, he submitted Mizugaki in third round of their 2015 bout. He followed this up with another submission win over prospect Johnny Eduardo. This showed many that Sterling was becoming a force to be reckoned with at 135lbs.

Sat at #4 in the bantamweight rankings, talks of a title opportunity for Sterling were louder than ever in 2016. At this point, he wasn’t necessarily a fan favourite, though.

Looking to solidfy his case for a crack at the belt, Sterling fought #8 ranked Bryan Caraway. Despite being dominated in the first round, Caraway rebounded late in the fight against a fatigued Sterling. Ultimately going to a split decision, Sterling was handed his first ever defeat in pro competition.

Trying to put his loss behind him and get back on the title path, Sterling squared off with perennial contender Raphael Assouncao. Again, the fight went the full three rounds and came down to a split decision. The judges would give the nod to Assouncao, making it two straight losses for ‘Funkmaster‘.

Sterling finally rebounded with a decision win over Augusto Mendes. He followed it up with an important clash against former 135lb champ Renan Barao. New York’s Sterling would take another win on the cards against Barao. A short-notice fight with former WSOF titleholder Marlon Moraes was booked for late 2017. The rising Brazilian would brutally flatline Sterling with a knee inside of a round.

The loss to Moraes served as the nail in the coffin for fans who believed Sterling couldn’t contend for the title. However, the knockout actually signalled a change for the better for Sterling.

A four-fight win-streak over the course of two years put Sterling at the forefront of title discussions at 135lbs. With each win, the contender continued to plead his case for a title shot. After a decisive performance against the surging Pedro Munhoz, it looked as if Sterling was finally going to get his crack at the belt.

As most know, 2020 saw the bantamweight title picture fall into disarray. The retirement of champion Henry Cejudo saw the title become vacant. UFC president Dana White tapped rising Russian star Petr Yan as the next line for the belt, promising he would fight for the belt. Rumblings of a Yan vs Sterling bout had been circulating, and it was expected to be those two fighting for the title.

Instead, Sterling was paired up with another top contender in Cory Sandhagen. The promotion marketed the bout as a title eliminator, saying the winner would be in line to fight the new champion. Dispatching of Sandhagen in only 88 seconds, Sterling gained massive fan support as he protested Yan being given the title shot against Jose Aldo.

Yan prevailed in an instant classic against Aldo, seemingly ushering in a new era of bantamweight supremacy. Many doubts loomed over his legitimacy, however, as Sterling was seen by many as the uncrowned king. Tensions between the fighters grew, with the two ultimately facing off at UFC 259 in March 2021.

The first round saw Sterling push a high pace. His unorthodox striking was on display, seemingly causing problems for the champ. Unfortunately for Sterling, he would slow down significantly from thereon out. Yan came into his own as the fight progressed, showing his superior fight IQ along the way.

Late in the fourth round, Yan pulled Sterling to the ground, with the challenger being down on one knee. In a case of miscommunication or negligence, the champ threw and landed an illegal knee to Sterling’s temple. Referee Mark Smith called the fight off minutes later, declaring a disqualification victory for Sterling.

With the sequence of events that led to the result, almost all fan support for the new champion had disappeared. Nobody doubted that the knee was illegal or that it made contact with Sterling. That much was certain. It was the manner in which Sterling acted that drew the ire of fans. Members of the community accused ‘Funkmaster‘ of faking the severity of the knee, knowing he would get the win if he couldn’t continue. The nickname ‘Actormain Sterling’ has stuck on amongst those online.

In terms of those claims, it’s hard to dispute the arguments of Sterling’s naysayers. The dramatic eye-rolling and flopping back to the floor upon hearing the referee talk about the disqualification seems a little too coincidental to not inquire about.

“I thought it was gonna be a no-contest”, Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “I wasn’t trying to get a DQ for a win, or for the championship. I just thought I wasn’t ever gonna get a shot again […] I thought the DQ would’ve DQ’d him but it was a no-contest. I didn’t think the DQ would mean me getting the belt or winning.”

‘In this [the foul] moment, I’m thinking of a whole bunch of things”, he continues. “Dana’s not gonna give me another shot at the title. The fight is gonna be a no-contest. Dana’s gonna say that I was losing that fight, so ‘why should we use him again?’. For me, I’m never gonna get this opportunity again. I’m gonna have to win three or four more fights to get back to this position, to ever challenge for a world title again.”

Another source of controversy for Sterling has been his mixed responses to carrying his title. Much to his own misfortune, the champ has given contradicting responses to the question of how he conducts himself as the new titleholder.

In an interview with The Schmo, he said, “I don’t have it in my bones to walk around with the belt […] Yeah, I won on a technicality because Petr Yan decided to disqualify himself, like an idiot. I couldn’t rightfully walk around with the belt. I couldn’t parade around being like, ‘look at me, I’m the champ’.”

Yet, directly after the fight, Sterling and his team posted celebratory pictures with the belt on full display over the champ’s shoulder. It’s the inconsistencies in responses that have played a big part in turning fans against Sterling.

A mountain of excuses, such as a sick stomach, slippery Octagon and a recurring neck injury, has been built by Sterling in the time after the fight. Many see this as a way of him blaming his fatiguing in the later rounds. The neck injury, however, was confirmed by medical reports. Sterling was not cleared to rematch Yan in October 2021 due to that injury.

Campaigning for fights with former champions like Henry Cejudo and TJ Dillashaw have also faced extreme backlash from fans.

In recent months, Sterling has gone full heel on the MMA community. He has embraced a much more hostile approach, claiming he is the true champion and fans simply must accept it. In a way, it’s easy to sympathise with him. He got a lot of unnecessary hate throughout this saga. But on the other hand, there is a lot of evidence that points towards him milking the injury for a win.

Now, Sterling is booked fight Yan in only two months time. In the time that the champ has been sidelined, Yan has claimed the interim title, making their rematch a unification fight.

This fight really will be make or break for Sterling. If he cannot get the better of Yan, almost the entirety of his legacy will be looked on unfavourably. Should he get the better of Yan, however, his fanbase will be revived as he sits atop the 135lb division, truly undisputed.

Everything is on the line for ‘Funkmaster‘ at UFC 273 on April 9.