In the blockbuster UFC 300 card, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling returned to the octagon, taking on Calvin Kattar in his first matchup in the featherweight division. This fight served as the stepping stone to climb up the ranks and take on former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. However, after his recent fight, Sterling dropped a revelation, sharing the stringent condition put forth by Dana White for him to duel it out with the Aussie.
Revealing on his popular YouTube channel, the ‘Funkmaster’ stated that a victory against Sean O’Malley was of paramount importance. This was because the UFC president made it an unwritten rule for the bantamweight to take on the former featherweight king. Speaking on his channel, the 34-year-old grappler said,
“I asked Dana(White) for the 145 shot at (Alexander) Volkanovski and he said if I had beaten O’Malley he would’ve given me a shot to go up there to 145.”
Despite the heavy loss against the tall striker, Sterling is still confident and optimistic that his best days are yet to come. The 34-year-old strongly believes that he is still the best-rounded fighter even in a weight class above him while being self-critical. He said,
“The one that fought Sean wasn’t the best version of me but I’m saying back then I think I was skilled enough and I still am skilled enough to compete with a guy like Volkanovski today just based on the size I think I have the size to compete with him, I think I have the strength to compete with him and I have the skill set to compete with him.”
While that is a missed opportunity, all is not lost for Sterling. In the recently concluded UFC 300, Sterling put on a good show against a seasoned striker, Calvin Kattar, in his first match at 145.
This bout even earned the ex-champion praise from the president, who previously was brutally critical about the ‘Funkmaster’s’ antics against Petr Yan.
Aljamain Sterling thanks the UFC president for the unexpected praise following the UFC 300
Facing long-time contender and master striker Calvin Kattar in his first featherweight matchup was Sterling. Despite being matched up with a crafty kickboxer and Muay Thai specialist, Sterling did not genuflect under pressure but instead came on top.
His performance was such that Dana White, in the post-fight presser, credited the grappler for making Kattar slow and sluggish. Reacting to the promoter’s praise, Sterling too, responded in Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour podcast, publicly thanking Dana White for the kind gesture. He said,
“I thought that was, for once, really nice of him haha. I was like, did I have to lose the belt for people to cut me a little slack? I’m not asking for much… I thank him for that, that was cool. That’s all I’ve ever wanted was at least, make me somewhat of an ally because the fans are going to regurgitate whatever he says and he knows that.”
Sterling won a majority decision against the Bostonian. In fact, he negated any doubts in the viewers’ minds, throwing Kattar to the canvas to dominate him on the ground.
