Aljamain Sterling displayed a dominant performance at UFC 300, although it lacked excitement. The fight was so uneventful that the post-fight interview was skipped for Sterling, also known as “The Funk Master,” by Joe Rogan.
After losing his bantamweight title against ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley in August, Sterling moved up to featherweight for this significant event, which was put on hold due to a knee injury in October 2022. He faced off against Calvin Cathal upon his return. With a determination to make his mark in the new division, Sterling was expected to secure a remarkable victory, especially with a $300,000 performance bonus at stake.
Instead, Sterling grappled with Kattar for three rounds, leveraging his superior wrestling skills to control and outmaneuver the well-decorated fighter. He ultimately secured a victory by unanimous decision.
The MMA community, both at T-Mobile Arena and worldwide, expressed disappointment with Sterling’s lackluster performance. “The Funk Master” defended the victory by labeling it as his most dominant of the night.
“Our match that night at UFC 300 wasn’t the most entertaining.” Stirling said on his YouTube channel.. “But I think even if you look at the entire card from top to bottom, it was probably the most dominant match. I definitely think it was the most dominant top three from top to bottom on that entire card.
“I think I’m probably the most dominant top three on that entire fight card. So when you look at this, I think you have to keep in perspective that you have guys [Kattar] On average, I was hitting about 4-5 strikes per minute, but that has dropped to about 0.5. Over 15 minutes.”
While Aljamain Sterling’s performance may not have been riveting, it elevated him to the No. 8 spot in the featherweight division.
Aljamain Sterling eyeing a bout with T-City
Following his victory at UFC 300, “The Funk Master” expressed interest in facing Brian Ortega, a well-established fighter in the featherweight category holding the No. 3 ranking.
“Give me the next best guy,” Sterling stated during the post-fight press conference. “I have immense respect for Brian Ortega. We’ve trained together before, share the same management, and hold no animosity towards each other. We are in the same business. I am eager to compete against him. While he wasn’t my primary sparring partner like Merab Dvalishvili, it’s a different scenario. I believe I have what it takes to defeat a fighter like him.”
T-City recently secured a submission victory over former interim champion Yair Rodriguez in a three-round fight in February.
