Aljamain Sterling
Funk Master
Jamaica
Cruises to another main event win
Sterling defeated Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
This fight was extremely lopsided by the time it was over and a perfect reminder that Sterling remains one of the top fighters in the sport at age 36. Aljo dominated Zalal from start to finish, closing with a 220-61 edge in total strikes landed. He added six takedowns on 11 attempts, good for a whopping 13:49 worth of control time. Sterling has been in countless five-round fights over the years, while Zalal was competing in his first. The difference was noticeable. Aljo seemed to know how to pace himself. He pressured Zalal when the openings were there and was obviously aided by all the time he spent on the mat in a dominant position. Sterling is 3-1 since moving up to featherweight in April 2024 and the lone setback during that stretch was a tight unanimous decision loss to the guy most people consider the true No. 1 contender in the division, Movsar Evloev. Sterling has plenty of gas left in the tank.
This fight was extremely lopsided by the time it was over and a perfect reminder that Sterling remains one of the top fighters in the sport at age 36. Aljo dominated Zalal from start to finish, closing with a 220-61 edge in total strikes landed. He added six takedowns on 11 attempts, good for a whopping 13:49 worth of control time. Sterling has been in countless five-round fights over the years, while Zalal was competing in his first. The difference was noticeable. Aljo seemed to know how to pace himself. He pressured Zalal when the openings were there and was obviously aided by all the time he spent on the mat in a dominant position. Sterling is 3-1 since moving up to featherweight in April 2024 and the lone setback during that stretch was a tight unanimous decision loss to the guy most people consider the true No. 1 contender in the division, Movsar Evloev. Sterling has plenty of gas left in the tank.
Fight Log
Loading Fight Log...
More Fantasy News
Set for next fight
Sterling will fight Youssef Zalal in Las Vegas on April 25, Aaron Bronsteter of TSN.ca reports.
ANALYSIS
While Sterling was hoping for a title fight in his next bout, he'll be facing an opponent in Zalal who has won eight fights in a row. Sterling has not competed since a win over Brian Ortega last August. A win over Zalal should bring him one step closer to that desired title fight.
While Sterling was hoping for a title fight in his next bout, he'll be facing an opponent in Zalal who has won eight fights in a row. Sterling has not competed since a win over Brian Ortega last August. A win over Zalal should bring him one step closer to that desired title fight.
Cruises past Ortega in Shanghai
Sterling defeated Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) at UFC Shanghai on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
The story heading into this fight was Ortega's poor weight cut leading to this scheduled featherweight bout getting contested at a 153-pound catchweight. Ortega looked brutally depleted on the scales, while Sterling -- a former bantamweight -- was his regular self. That led to Sterling ballooning to a betting favorite of (-550) or greater, and bettors proved to be right here. Sterling was defensive from the get-go, allowing Ortega to land just two significant strikes in the opening frame. He continued to win a lopsided striking battle throughout, and leaned on his grappling in Rounds 4 and 5 to rack up control time and secure his fate. It got a little hairy when he was hurt by a right hand from Ortega in the final frame, but he was able to weather the storm. Sterling entered this fight as the No. 7-ranked featherweight, but will no presumably take Ortega's No. 5 spot. He's deserving of another title-implicating fight in the near future.
The story heading into this fight was Ortega's poor weight cut leading to this scheduled featherweight bout getting contested at a 153-pound catchweight. Ortega looked brutally depleted on the scales, while Sterling -- a former bantamweight -- was his regular self. That led to Sterling ballooning to a betting favorite of (-550) or greater, and bettors proved to be right here. Sterling was defensive from the get-go, allowing Ortega to land just two significant strikes in the opening frame. He continued to win a lopsided striking battle throughout, and leaned on his grappling in Rounds 4 and 5 to rack up control time and secure his fate. It got a little hairy when he was hurt by a right hand from Ortega in the final frame, but he was able to weather the storm. Sterling entered this fight as the No. 7-ranked featherweight, but will no presumably take Ortega's No. 5 spot. He's deserving of another title-implicating fight in the near future.
Saturday bout at catchweight
Sterling's scheduled featherweight bout against Brian Ortega at UFC Shanghai on Saturday will now be contested at a catchweight of 153 pounds, according to the UFC official site.
ANALYSIS
Sterling looked far better than Ortega did on the scales and during faceoffs, which led many observers to believe that the move from featherweight to catchweight was due to Ortega being unable to make the 146-pound limit. Bettors seem to agree, as Sterling was roughly a (-285) betting favorite at the start of the week, but now he's ballooned to approximately (-455).
Sterling looked far better than Ortega did on the scales and during faceoffs, which led many observers to believe that the move from featherweight to catchweight was due to Ortega being unable to make the 146-pound limit. Bettors seem to agree, as Sterling was roughly a (-285) betting favorite at the start of the week, but now he's ballooned to approximately (-455).
Set to face Ortega
Sterling will face Brian Ortega in a featherweight bout at UFC Shanghai on Aug. 23.
ANALYSIS
Sterling suffered the first loss of his career at 145 pounds when he was defeated by Movsar Evloev on Dec. 7, 2024, via unanimous decision in Las Vegas. He'll have a golden chance to bounce back against a struggling opponent in Ortega, although it remains to be seen just how much Sterling has left in the tank. He'll be 36 years old by the time he steps into the octagon for this fight. However, he's been putting up solid numbers and has gone 6-2 over his last eight bouts overall.
Sterling suffered the first loss of his career at 145 pounds when he was defeated by Movsar Evloev on Dec. 7, 2024, via unanimous decision in Las Vegas. He'll have a golden chance to bounce back against a struggling opponent in Ortega, although it remains to be seen just how much Sterling has left in the tank. He'll be 36 years old by the time he steps into the octagon for this fight. However, he's been putting up solid numbers and has gone 6-2 over his last eight bouts overall.
First defeat at 145 pounds
Sterling lost to Movsar Evloev via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC 310 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
The result aside, it was another strong performance at 145 pounds from Sterling against a legitimate top-five opponent. Both men had their moments in what was essentially a 15-minute grappling match. Sterling landed 6-of-8 takedowns for 6:16 worth of control time, but Evloev was unable to reverse position midway through the final frame with the result on the line, and he landed enough damage to sway the opinion of all three judges. Now 35 years of age, Sterling fights with more than enough physicality to have continued success at featherweight.
The result aside, it was another strong performance at 145 pounds from Sterling against a legitimate top-five opponent. Both men had their moments in what was essentially a 15-minute grappling match. Sterling landed 6-of-8 takedowns for 6:16 worth of control time, but Evloev was unable to reverse position midway through the final frame with the result on the line, and he landed enough damage to sway the opinion of all three judges. Now 35 years of age, Sterling fights with more than enough physicality to have continued success at featherweight.