‘Funkmaster’ recently made the move up a weight class after achieving great success in the bantamweight division.
After a dominant featherweight debut at UFC 300, Aljamain Sterling was beaten by Movsar Evloev last time out at UFC 310 in December.
Though Sterling did hint at retirement, it looks like the former 135-pound champion is going to be sticking around for a bit longer.
One thing we do know for certain is that he has no plans to return to his former weight class after the struggles he went through to compete at bantamweight.
Sterling has already mentioned Arnold Allen as a potential next opponent as he looks to get back on track at 145-pounds in the near future.
Aljamain Sterling says Henry Cejudo fight was the toughest weight cut that he has experienced
After losing the bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, Aljamain Sterling made the decision to move up to featherweight.
Not only did this mean that he wouldn’t get in the way of his teammate and the current champion, Merab Dvalishvili, Sterling always planned to make the switch sooner or later.
‘Funkmaster’ was always big for 135-pounds but that only made his awkward striking style and excellent back control even more difficult for opponents to overcome.
However, this size advantage also came with negatives as Sterling put himself through difficult weight cuts that would have certainly impacted his durability on fight night.
Following his back-to-back fights with Petr Yan, the new bantamweight champion faced TJ Dillashaw in a successful first title defense.
UFC 288 brought another former 135-pound champion back to the Octagon as Sterling defeated Henry Cejudo via a split decision to deny ‘Triple C’ a fairy tale return.
In a recent post on social media, he revealed that he went through his toughest bantamweight cut heading into the fight with his health being a serious concern.
“Henry Cejudo fight was awful. Never felt that close to the hospital before”
Aljamain Sterling is right in the mix at featherweight
Leaving bantamweight behind was a big call for Aljamain Sterling but as the #9-ranked contender in the division, he’s very much in the mix at featherweight.
His UFC 310 bout with Movsar Evloev was a close fight and with the undefeated Russian likely going on to face the winner of the upcoming vacant title fight at UFC 314, this won’t have hurt his stock too badly.
With Ilia Topuria now gone from the division, there are big opportunities for the featherweights to really put a run together and try to prove themselves as the best.
Sterling’s championship pedigree means that he’s still very much in the conversation and he is likely only two wins away from another shot at UFC gold.
