This Saturday night (Jan. 28) Aljamain Sterling will have a chance to rebound after suffering the first loss of his career. He will battle Raphael Assuncao inside the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
The “Funk Master’s” last bout was back in May against Bryan Caraway. Sterling fell short in a split decision defeat. The loss knocked him down the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight rankings and he now sits at No. 7. It was a disappointing outing for Sterling, who had built up the fight with trash talk.
Sterling was a recent guest on MMAJunkie Radio. He said losing his undefeated record didn’t bother him, but the result of the fight did:
“I don’t think there was any stress. People asked me about the undefeated record, but I really didn’t give a (expletive) about that. I always cared about how I performed when I stepped into the Octagon, whether I let my hands go and used my jiu-jitsu well and mixed everything well.”
Assuncao was on a seven-fight winning streak before running into T.J. Dillashaw. Sterling believes he has the blueprint to exploit the Brazilian’s weakness.
“He likes to let his opponents run in and counter-strike, and land those big strikes and get off on those big combinations. I’m prepared for that. I know where he’s not very strong, which is the wrestling. I know once I get on top, that’s it. Once I get on top, I will wreak havoc on this guy.”
The upcoming UFC on FOX event will be headlined by a potential title eliminator. Women’s bantamweights Valentina Shevchenko and Julianna Pena will go toe-to-toe. The winner will likely meet champion Amanda Nunes later this year.
Welterweight action will serve as the co-main event. Former lightweight title challenger Donald Cerrone will look to extend his winning streak to five. Standing in his way will be former Strikeforce title challenger Jorge Masvidal.
