Aljamain Sterling’s mixed martial arts (MMA) career would’ve been in doubt had he lost to Augusto Mendes.
Sterling and Mendes battled inside the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri for UFC on FOX 24. “The Funk Master” was noticeably more aggressive than he had been in previous bouts. Sterling won the contest by unanimous decision. It was his first victory since Dec. 2015.
During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour” Sterling said if the decision went to Mendes, then he would’ve questioned if fighting was worth it anymore:
“I thought I won it. I thought, if I lose it, maybe I give up altogether. If they can’t figure out who won this fight then I just suck at this and I’m going to stick to real estate. I hadn’t won since Dec. 10, 2015. Long time coming when you think about it like that. It’s not like I never lost before, but, damn, it sure does feel good to be back and still showing I belong on the top of the heap. It’s just so frustrating to hear people say, ‘oh, he can’t strike, he can’t box, he’s afraid to get hit.’ It’s more annoying than anything. It’s like, do you think I’ve just been in the training room wrestling and just humping some guys leg along the wall for eight to 12 weeks as a training camp? What do you think we do as fighters?”
