Aljamain Sterling believes he’s the man at the top of the 135-pound division.
Sterling turned in an impressive performance against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250. The “Funk Master” choked out Sandhagen quickly in the first round. Many expected the fight to be close but Sterling wasn’t interested in that idea. He has been promised a bantamweight title opportunity against the winner of Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo.
Aljamain Sterling Thinks He’s The One To Beat At 135 Pounds
Sterling spoke to MMAFighting.com following his stellar performance against Sandhagen. The second-ranked UFC bantamweight made it clear that he feels he’s the one to beat at 135 pounds, title or not.
“Petr Yan may fight Jose Aldo and he may win the belt or Jose Aldo may win the belt but people are going to always look and see ‘you’ve got to beat this guy first’ and it gives me comfort knowing that people are behind me and realizing that my skills are dangerous and I’m a real threat to this division,” Sterling explained. “In order to be considered the best, you have to take me out.”
Sterling is riding a five-fight winning streak. In that span, Sterling has beaten Sandhagen, Pedro Munhoz, Jimmie Rivera, Cody Stamann, and Brett Johns. He hasn’t suffered a loss since Dec. 2017 when he was knocked out by Marlon Moraes.
Yan vs. Aldo is scheduled to take place on July 11. The bout will be featured on the main card of UFC 251. It’ll be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Yan and Aldo are fighting for the vacant 135-pound championship as Henry Cejudo retired, relinquishing his gold in the process.
Now, Sterling will have time to settle down and keep an eye on the next bantamweight title bout as he’s set to fight the winner.
