Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling not willing to be a ‘yes man’ during pandemic: ‘I’m worried about my health’

Aljamain Sterling is choosing health over money during the coronavirus epidemic. He wishes the UFC’s “yes men” would do the same.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is eying a return – but it has to happen under proper circumstances.

With the coronavirus pandemic interfering with the daily lives of just about everyone, UFC bantamweight contender Sterling (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) isn’t willing to accept a fight right now. It would be irresponsible for him to do so given his current conditions.

“If I was told I’d have to fight this month, it’d absolutely not happen – absolutely not happen,” Sterling told MMA Junkie. “My gym is a very small gym. I don’t have training partners. … There’s no real adequate training to get to a fight the right way or on top of that, maintaining your proper nutrition so you can lose weight. I’m walking around this morning at 164 (pounds). Early this week, I was 168. I’m trying to get my weight back down to stabilize around 160 again.”

While numerous fighters have raised their hands on social media, volunteering to take a fight amidst coronavirus, Sterling has publicly confirmed the opposite stance. In his eyes, “yes men” fighters are making an uncalculated impulse decision. As a result, they’ll think the UFC owes them a favor. History has shown that to be false, Sterling said.

“I love how these other guys are being these yes men and trying to sound all cool,” Sterling said. “… Anyone can say, ‘Yeah, I’ll just take the fight.’ But are you doing yourself the best possible favor by just taking a fight? Absolutely not. If you’re going to just say, ‘I’m going to take a fight,’ because you think it’s going to put you in the good graces of the UFC brass, I think you’re really diluted in the head.

“You need to reevaluate the lessons we’ve seen from previous fighters from different eras of the game. I like to think it’s nice to learn from your forefathers instead of making the same mistakes that they made thinking the UFC owes them anything. They don’t owe anybody jack (expletive).”

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Presently, Sterling is as close as he’s ever been to a UFC title shot. In a stacked 135-pound division, Sterling is on a shortlist of fighters who could get the next crack at title gold. Sterling doesn’t think he’ll miss out by passing on any fight offers.

“Petr Yan and Marlon Moraes are not fighting until June 13,” Sterling said. “They have a lot of time for this thing to figure itself out. They’ve got all of April. They’ve got all of May. Then they have two weeks into June. They’ve got time. … When it comes to other professional athletes, this isn’t even a fraction of the life-changing money that those guys make in their respective sports. I don’t see any rush to jump the gun and worry about losing a spot right now.”

Sterling admitted he would take a UFC title fight if it was offered, but encouraged fighters to weigh risk versus reward. He acknowledged the coronavirus pandemic’s seriousness and would take that into account during his decision-making process. In the end, it’s health over money, Sterling said.

“I’m worried about my health,” Sterling said. “I’m worried about my close family and friends’ health. I think those guys all come first. At the end of the day, money ain’t going to bring somebody back from the grave. If that’s your end-all be-all, then more power to you. Everyone has their own perspective, wishes, and things they want to accomplish. If they think fighting in a time like this is going to be beneficial to them, more power to you. Again, I think it’s ill-advised. You’re putting yourself at risk.

“… We’ll see what happens. I’m not worried about anybody jumping this queue because I’m pretty confident in my abilities and my position. One fight changes everything.”

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Aljamain Sterling denies Cory Sandhagen matchup: ‘As far as I know there is no fight announcement’

Contrary to reports, UFC bantamweight Aljamain Sterling says he doesn’t have fight booked – and he’s not interested in taking one right now.

According to UFC bantamweight contender [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag], he does not have an upcoming fight on the books.

Despite multiple reports Monday about a booking with Cory Sandhagen being in the works for UFC on ESPN+ 33 in San Diego, Sterling (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) denied the matchup Tuesday.

“We’ve spoken about a few different opponents,” Sterling wrote on Twitter. “As far as I know there is no fight announcement. Especially with all this chaos happening”

Additionally, in a second tweet, Sterling pointed out he no longer has access to his gym and indicated he won’t be taking a fight unless that changes.

“I don’t even have access to my gym anymore,” Sterling wrote. “It’s been a complete ban for everyone and you guys think I’m taking a fight? Yea, ok”

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation backed Sterling’s take and told MMA Junkie the fight with Sandhagen hit a standstill earlier this month. Both location and opponent are still up in the air.

In a third tweet, Sterling said he’s “ok with waiting” until things return back to normal before taking a fight.

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One of the top 135-pound fighters in the world, Sterling hasn’t competed since July 2019. He’s riding a four-fight winning streak and has been victorious in six of his last seven bouts. His only loss came against Marlon Moraes at UFC Fight Night 123 in December 2017.

Check out Sterling’s tweets below:

Bantamweights react to Henry Cejudo vs. Jose Aldo title fight at UFC 250

Some of the top-ranked UFC bantamweights give their reactions to the Henry Cejudo vs. Jose Aldo title booking at UFC 250.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] will be making his first UFC bantamweight title defense against someone coming off of a loss.

Former dual champ Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) takes on former UFC featherweight king [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) at UFC 250, which takes place in Sao Paulo on May 9.

Cejudo has been sidelined with a shoulder injury and hasn’t competed since winning the vacant 135-pound title with a fourth-round finish over Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 this past June.

With top ranked contenders [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag], [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] waiting for their cracks at the title, Cejudo decided to go after a legend in Aldo, who failed to make good in his 135-pound debut.

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Aldo was edged out by Moraes in a controversial split decision loss at UFC 245. It was a fight both Cejudo and UFC president Dana White thought Aldo won. Aldo is coming off back-to-back losses, joining a rare few to get title shots off two straight setbacks.

With the booking, several bantamweights including Sandhagen, Sterling and Yan, had their say with the peculiar title booking.

“I could (not) care less,” Sandhagen told MMA Junkie. “I know I wasn’t next and I’m grateful he finally made a decision so all these other guys will stop shooting for him and start fighting me. I’ll be rooting for the ‘King of Rio.’ He has been one of my favorite fighters since the WEC.”

Sterling on the other hand, wasn’t too amused.

“The fight that no one asked for and that nobody wanted to see! #MakeRankingsGreatAgain 🗑🗑🗑”

“This clown choosing Aldo because I don’t speak perfect English 🤦🏻‍♂️ Since when Jose is the fluent speaker? What kind of logic is that? Henry knows he is not a draw and he is unsecured. In his head he already lost the fight to me. @ufc give me someone who is confident in himself!”

With the top contenders not getting their shots at the title, that means the division will likely be held up, making the road to contention a little longer for surging bantamweights like Marlon Vera. But he understands why the UFC made the matchup.

“The ufc just piss all over the top 5 BW division booking Aldo & Cejudo guess what good job Aldo have the name at the end of the day. That top 5 very hard to sell they can fight tho but no good for business, and this is why I love this game u have to throw urselve to the fire 2 make it.”

[autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag], who is looking to climb his way back up to contention, is just happy to see progress in the division again.

“(I) can’t wait to watch it and I am happy that division is going somewhere right now,” Rivera told MMA Junkie. “Where does that leave Yan and Sandhagen?”

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UFC in 2019: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

* * * *

EVENTS

Octagon girls at UFC 238

The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.

Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).

Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.

The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).

The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.

“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.

At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).

The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).

The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).

In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.

In 2019, athletes were paid $7,370,500 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance money.

The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.

Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Moraes

“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.

The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.

The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.

“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.

Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.

Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.

“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.

Aspen Ladd

A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.

A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.

A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.

One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)

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Petr Yan: Stop the circus and let me fight Aljamain Sterling for real 135-pound belt

Tired of Henry Cejudo’s antics, Petr Yan wants to face Aljamain Sterling for the UFC’s “real” bantamweight title.

It appears [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] wants another title stripped from [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag].

After relinquishing his UFC flyweight title, current UFC bantamweight champ Cejudo has made it clear that all his focus is on 135 pounds.

And with a lineup of young and hungry contenders, Cejudo has his eyes on a former featherweight king, Jose Aldo, who’s actually coming off a loss to Marlon Moraes at UFC 245.

Naturally, the top-ranked Yan (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), is not happy with Cejudo’s callouts and wants the division to move on. He’d like to face Aljamain Sterling for the “real” bantamweight title.

“If triple clown @HenryCejudo looking for easy “money” fights, he can go ahead and chase his intergender championship belt. While I will fight @funkmasterMMA for real 135 belt #stopthecircus”

Sterling (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) is currently recovering from wrist surgery, but is certainly willing to throw down with Yan.

Undefeated in the UFC, Yan is coming off a third-round knockout over Urijah Faber at UFC 245 and thinks Cejudo is ducking him.

But the champ is dead set on a matchup with Aldo, which UFC president Dana White is actually on board with.

As Cejudo edges closer to a return, targeting the likes of future champs and hall of famers Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz, streaking contenders such as Yan, Sterling and Cory Sandhagen await.

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Marlon Moraes doesn’t doubt UFC 245 win over Jose Aldo, has Aljamain Sterling in mind next

Marlon Moraes already owns a victory over Aljamain Sterling, but a rematch would be about “taking his chance to ever fight for a title.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] is back in the win column.

At UFC 245 on Saturday night, Moraes (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) squeezed out a close split decision victory over former featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who was making his bantamweight debut.

The decision was deemed controversial by some. But generally speaking, the close nature of the fight resulted in scorecards from fans and media being all over the board.

“I think I won the first round,” Moraes said after the fight. “The second round, I think he got it. Then the third, I think I got it. It was a close fight. I just fought Jose Aldo, you know?

“A lot of people judge and say, ‘It’s a tough fight, a close fight.’ Who (has beaten) Jose in a split decision? Who did that? He only lost to five or six guys in his whole career. He’s the longest featherweight champion. He beat all the champions and contenders. hats off for him, but now’s my time.”

In Moraes’ mind, his use of straight punches in Round 3 proved to be the difference on the judges’ scorecards. Moraes said if his doubters go back and watch a replay of the fight, they’d likely change their minds about who won.

“I landed a lot of straight punches on him,” Moraes said. “I think I outscored him. He only landed one punch and cut me. But that’s it. Besides that, I didn’t feel anything. It was a good fight. Hats off for him (for taking) the challenge, (making) weight, and (putting) on a great fight. I think the fans liked it. It was a great fight.

“Some people don’t agree with the decision, but at the end of the day you go home, and you watch the fight again. You’ll see I won.”

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So what’s next for Moraes? The former UFC bantamweight title challenger has his eyes set on two potential opponents: [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] and Dominick Cruz. While Cruz was brought up first, Moraes spoke with more vitriol when he brought up Sterling.

“I’d like to fight either Dominick Cruz or (Aljamain) Sterling,” Moraes said. “I don’t like Sterling at all, and I’d love to take his chance to ever fight for a title. Those are the two names I have on my mind right now.”

The two fighters have history, having competed against each other before at UFC Fight Night 123 in December 2017. In the first meeting, Moraes finished Sterling with a brutal knee in 67 seconds.

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Callout Collection: Who UFC 245 winners want next – and how likely they’ll get them

Petr Yan and Marlon Moraes were among those with specific names in mind for their next fight after UFC 245.

Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.

So after Saturday’s UFC 245 event in Las Vegas, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.

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Petr Yan

Wants to fight: [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]

Henry Cejudo

The callout: “I want next fight (Henry) Cejudo – title shot. Where (are you), ‘Triple Clown’? Where?”

The reality: [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) may not be the most well-known name in the bantamweight division, but he might just be the most dangerous. Yan looked fantastic in a methodical destruction of UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber, patiently picking him apart with his crisp punches and slick movement until a perfectly placed high kick sent “The California Kid” crashing to the canvas 43 seconds into the third round. Afterward, Yan even used his mic time to call out UFC double champ Henry Cejudo.

“Triple C” has made it clear he wants to defend his bantamweight on his return from injury, shooting for March or April, turning his attention to flyweight at a later date. Aljamain Sterling owns a four-fight winning streak of his own and is 6-1 in his last seven fights, but with “The Funkmaster” on the sidelines since June, Yan may have grabbed the momentum needed to score a title shot.

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Marlon Moraes

Wants to fight: [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]

Aljamain Sterling

The callout: “I would like to fight Dominick Cruz or Sterling. I don’t like Sterling at all, and I would love to take his chance to ever fight for the title, you know? That’s it. That’s the two names I have on my mind right now.”

The reality: OK, listen – so [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) technically said he would be happy to fight Aljamain Sterling or [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag], but let’s be clear: When you say you want to make sure you beat someone so that they never have a chance to fight for the title, that’s going to turn some heads. That’s a professional and personal challenge.

Moraes can’t fight for the title right now. He just lost to current champ Henry Cejudo this past summer. Sterling has been battling through injuries while waiting for this shot at the belt, but after Saturday’s event, it seems he may be behind both Petr Yan and Jose Aldo. So what does that mean for Sterling? Well, it means he probably should go ahead and take on Moraes in a battle that has long been brewing beneath the surface.

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Aljamain Sterling: Why would ex-UFC champs Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar would move down in weight now?

Aljamain Sterling is intrigued by the decisions of two new additions to the UFC’s bantamweight division.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is intrigued by the decisions of two new additions to the UFC’s bantamweight division.

Speaking on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast, top bantamweight contender Sterling (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC), who’s currently recovering from a wrist injury, said he’s not quite sure why former UFC champions and likely future UFC Hall of Famers [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] and [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] are making the move down to 135 pounds at this point in their careers.

Aldo is scheduled to take on Marlon Moraes at UFC 245 on Dec. 14, and Edgar meets Cory Sandhagen at UFC Raleigh on Jan. 25. Another recent addition to the division is Urijah Faber, who took out Ricky Simon in his comeback and will now take on Petr Yan at UFC 245.

Should any of the three emerge victorious, they could very well be next in line for a title shot against current champion Henry Cejudo. But Sterling hopes that won’t be the case.

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“Two belts in two different weight classes would be historic, but they’re old in fight years, they’re older in age, and they’re fighting guys who are almost a decade younger than them – so it’s going to be very interesting to see how they do,” Sterling said. “I’m not wishing them any type of ill will, but at the same time, I just wish they hug each other for 15 minutes and have boring fights.

“I don’t really understand or can make much sense out of it. I’m like, ‘You guys established yourselves as (1)45-ers – to come down at that age, that late in your career, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.’ It’s the last Hail Mary. It’s the last hurrah for another title shot and one more chance for them to become a champion again in another weight class.”

Sterling, who was scheduled to welcome Edgar to the bantamweight division before being forced out due to injury, is enjoying his best career run. He has won his past four fights, including victories over Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz. He thinks an established bantamweight like himself should be getting the next crack at the title.

“I hope all the guys coming down in weight class have an egg of a fight, and leave us real bantamweights who’ve been here, putting in the work, to get a shot,” Sterling said.

“I hope they have boring fights so our last fights stick out the most. All the old guys coming down – Faber, Edgar, Aldo – I hope they just get tired and just hug each other.”

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