Aljamain Antoine Sterlinghttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2014_Results/02-22-14MMA.pdf (born July 31, 1989) is a Jamaican-American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

. He currently competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Bra ...

division in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC), where he is the current UFC Bantamweight Champion. Aljamain also competed for Cage Fury Fighting Championship, where he is the former Cage Fury Fighting Championship Bantamweight Champion. As of November 14, 2022, he is #9 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Background

Sterling was born in 1989 in

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 United States Census. Uniondale is home to Hofstra University's nor ...

to Jamaican parents, Cleveland and Sophia Sterling. He grew up with seven full siblings and at least 12 half-siblings. To stay away from the prevalent gang life in which some of his brothers joined, Sterling started wrestling at

Uniondale High School Uniondale High School is a public high school located in Uniondale, Nassau County, New York, U.S.A., and is the only high school operated by the Uniondale Union Free School District. As of the 2014-15 school year, the school had an enrollment of ...

in 2004. Unable to catch up with the grades to reach Division I, Sterling opted to enroll at Morrisville State College where he continued wrestling. During the time in Morrisville, Sterling developed an interest in MMA when he met

Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...

and trained on the wrestling team. After the freshman year, Sterling transferred to Cortland and eventually became a two-time NCAA Division III All-American with a record of 87–27. Sterling graduated from Cortland with a bachelor's degree in

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explora ...

. After years of absence in wrestling competition, Sterling wrestled and grappled two-time NCAA DI wrestling All-American and

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educati ...

from

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

Roman Bravo-Young, on December 22, 2020, at the NLWC IV. The rules consisted on six minutes of

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling ...

and three minutes of

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

. Sterling was defeated by points in the first match but tapped out Bravo-Young in the second one. He earned the nickname “The Funk Master” from his unorthodox wrestling style.

Mixed martial arts career

While studying in Cortland, Sterling was invited by Jones to try out mixed martial arts at his gym of that time, The BombSquad in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County, New York, Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca m ...

. A few fights into his professional career, Sterling left The BombSquad and started training at

Serra-Longo Fight Team Serra-Longo Fight Team is a mixed martial arts team based in Long Island, New York that was formed by Matt Serra and Ray Longo. The team has two gyms operating under it, Serra BJJ Academy and Longo-Weidman MMA. It has produced two former UFC cham ...

Early career

Sterling started his amateur career in 2009 with a submission win. Prior to turning pro Sterling compiled a 6-1 amateur record with the lone loss coming by way of split decision, he would eventually avenge this loss. Sterling captured the Raging Wolf amateur Bantamweight Championship and Extreme FC amateur Featherweight Championship along the way. Sterling started his professional career 2-0, before earning a shot at the ROC Bantamweight Championship. He would go on to defeat Claudio Ledesma by split decision to capture the title. Although this would turn out to be his last bout under the Ring of Combat organization, as he would later sign with

Cage Fury Fighting Championships Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) is an American mixed martial arts ( MMA) promotion primarily operating in the Northeastern United States. Founded by Felix and Amy Martinez, they promoted their first shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey, l ...

. Sterling made his CFFC debut in a Featherweight bout against Evan Chmieleski. He won the fight by TKO with just two seconds left in the first round. This victory earned him a shot at the vacant CFFC Bantamweight Championship. Sterling defeated Sean Santella via unanimous decision to capture his second professional title. He would go on to defend the CFFC Bantamweight Championship on three occasions. Sterling finished all three of his title defenses by rear naked choke, which earned him the opportunity to compete in the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2014

Sterling was scheduled to make his UFC debut at UFC 170 against Lucas Martins, replacing an injured Bryan Caraway. However Martins was eventually injured as well and replaced by fellow UFC newcomer Cody Gibson. Sterling won the fight via unanimous decision. Sterling made his second UFC appearance on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45 against Hugo Viana. After controlling the majority of the fight Sterling landed a barrage of punches from the mount position causing the referee to wave off the fight late in the third round. Sterling was expected to face Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine on October 4, 2014. However, Sterling pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Rob Font. Following a quick recovery, Sterling was promptly rebooked and was expected to face Frankie Saenz on November 8, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 55. However, Saenz was forced to withdraw from the bout and in turn promotional newcomer Michael Imperato was briefly linked as a replacement. However, his signing was quickly rescinded and as a result, Sterling was pulled from the event altogether.

2015

Sterling was expected to face Manny Gamburyan on April 18, 2015, at UFC on Fox 15. However, Gamburyan pulled out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by Takeya Mizugaki. Sterling won the fight by submission in the third round. Sterling faced Johnny Eduardo on December 10, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 80. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

2016

Sterling next faced Bryan Caraway on May 29, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 88. Despite dominating the first round, Sterling began to tire and would go on to lose the following two rounds and lose via split decision. Sterling was expected to face Raphael Assunção on December 9, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 102. However, Sterling pulled out of the fight on November 23 citing injury. Assunção was subsequently removed from the card.

2017

The bout with Assunção was rescheduled and took place on January 28, 2017, at UFC on Fox 23. Sterling lost the fight via split decision. Sterling faced Augusto Mendes on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Sterling faced

Renan Barão Renan Mota do Nascimento Pegado (born 31 January 1987), better known as Renan Barão, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and the former UFC Bantamweight Champion. He held one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA history - follo ...

on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. The fight was initially contracted to be contested at bantamweight, however on June 28, the CSAC announced that they would not license Barão to compete at that weight due to his struggle to make the required weight at UFC 177. The bout with Sterling proceeded as scheduled at a catchweight of 140 lbs. Sterling won the bout by unanimous decision. Sterling was expected to face

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in ...

on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 123. However, Yahya pulled out from the event on November 7, 2017, due to injury, and was replaced by Marlon Moraes. He lost the fight via KO in the first round.

2018

Sterling faced Brett Johns on April 21, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 128. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Sterling faced Cody Stamann on September 8, 2018, at UFC 228. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

2019

Sterling faced Jimmie Rivera on February 17, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN 1 ''UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 1'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 17, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena, now known as Footprint Center ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Sterling faced Pedro Munhoz on June 8, 2019, at UFC 238. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

2020

Sterling faced Cory Sandhagen on June 6, 2020, at UFC 250 in a bout that UFC president Dana White confirmed to be a bantamweight title eliminator. He won the bout via submission in the first round. This win earned him his first '' Performance of the Night''.

UFC Bantamweight Championship

Sterling was expected to face

Petr Yan Petr Evgenyevich Yan (russian: Пётр Евге́ньевич Я́н, translit=Pyotr Yevgenyevich Yan; born 11 February 1993) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate ...

for the

UFC Bantamweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

on December 12, 2020, at

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, Unit ...

. However, on November 22, it was announced the bout was scrapped from the UFC 256 card due to undisclosed reasons and the bout took place on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259. Sterling won the fight by disqualification due to an intentional illegal knee in the fourth round, becoming the new UFC Bantamweight Champion. He became the first fighter in UFC history to win a championship by disqualification. A rematch with Yan was expected to take place on October 30, 2021, at UFC 267. However, on September 25, Sterling withdrew from the contest due to lingering neck issues from surgery. The pair was initially rescheduled to meet at

UFC 272 ''UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 5, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

on March 5, 2022, but the bout was pushed back to UFC 273 on April 9. Sterling won the close bout and defended the title via split decision. 11 of 18 MMA media outlets scored the bout for Sterling, while 5 scored it as a draw. Sterling successfully defended his title against T.J. Dillashaw on October 22, 2022, at

UFC 280 ''UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 22, 2022, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background A UFC Lightweight Champion ...

. Sterling won the one-sided bout via TKO in the second round, resulting in Sterling's first stoppage by strikes in eight years.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(One time, current) *** Two successful title defenses ** Performance of the Night (One time) ** Tied ( T.J. Dillashaw) for most wins in UFC Bantamweight division history (13) ** Longest win streak in UFC Bantamweight division history (8) *

** CFFC Bantamweight Championship (One time) *** Three successful title defenses *Ring of Combat **ROC Bantamweight Championship (One time) * MMAJunkie.com **2018 Submission of the Year vs. Cody Stamann **2020 June Submission of the Month vs. Cory Sandhagen *Cageside Press **2020 "Submission of the Year" vs. Cory Sandhagen, tied with

Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov av, ХIабиб ГӀабдулманапил НурмухӀамадов (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultima ...

and

A.J. McKee A. J. McKee (born April 7, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Featherweight and Lightweight division, where he is the former Bellator Featherweight Champion. As of February 28, 2023, he is #4 in the Bel ...

Mixed martial arts record

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Jimmie Rivera , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Cody Stamann , Submission (Suloev stretch) , UFC 228 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:42 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

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Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

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Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Augusto Mendes , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 , Raphael Assunção , Decision (split) , UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

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Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Joel Roberts , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CFFC 30: Sterling vs. Roberts , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:49 , King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Sidemar Honorio , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CFFC 16: Williams vs. Jacoby , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:05 ,

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Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

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Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.List of current UFC fighters This list of current UFC fighters records current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters' information, country origins, recent fighter signings and departures, fight schedules and results and the champion of each division. , the UFC roster ...

List of male mixed martial artists This is a list of notable professional male mixed martial arts fighters in alphabetical order. __NOTOC__ A * Shamil Abdurakhimov - ( M-1, UFC) * Daichi Abe - ( UFC, Pancrase) * Hiroyuki Abe - (Shooto, KOTC, Cage Rage, DEEP, Pride) * ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sterling, Aljamain 1989 births Living people American people of Jamaican descent African-American Christians African-American mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists American male sport wrestlers Jamaican male mixed martial artists Jamaican male sport wrestlers Mixed martial artists from New York (state) Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Jamaican practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu State University of New York at Cortland alumni Morrisville State College alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship champions 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people