Aljamain Sterling was a fighter for Cage Fury Fighting Championship, where he was the former Bantamweight Champion. He is ranked #7 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings as of February 7, 2023.
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Aljamain Antoine Sterling was born on July 31, 1989. He is a mixed martial artist who is Jamaican-American. He is the current UFC Bantamweight Champion and competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Bantamweight division. Aljamain also participated in the Cage Fury Fighting Championship, where he previously held the title of bantamweight. He is ranked #7 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of February 7, 2023.
Sterling was born to Jamaican parents, Cleveland and Sophia Sterling, in Uniondale, New York in 1989. He had seven full siblings and at least 12 half-siblings when he was growing up. Sterling began wrestling at Uniondale High School in 2004 to stay away from the prevalent gang life that some of his brothers had joined.
Unable to catch up with the grades required to compete in Division I, Sterling enrolled at Morrisville State College, where he continued wrestling. Sterling became interested in MMA while in Morrisville after meeting Jon Jones and training on the wrestling team. Sterling transferred to Cortland after his freshman year and went on to become a two-time NCAA Division III All-American with an 87-27 record.
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Sterling was scheduled to battle Petr Yan for the UFC Bantamweight Title at UFC 256 on December 12, 2020. However, on November 22, it was reported that the bout had been removed from the UFC 256 card for unspecified reasons and that it would now take place on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259. Sterling won the fight via disqualification in the fourth round due to an intended illegal knee. He is now the UFC Bantamweight Champion. He was the first fighter in UFC history to win a title by disqualification.
A rematch with Yan was scheduled on October 30, 2021, at UFC 267. Sterling, however, withdrew from the competition on September 25 owing to ongoing neck concerns from surgery. The fight was originally slated for UFC 272 on March 5, 2022, but it was bumped back to UFC 273 on April 9. Sterling won the tight fight by split decision and successfully defended his championship. 11 of 18 MMA media outlets gave the fight to Sterling, while 5 called it a draw.
Sterling successfully defended his championship against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 on October 22, 2022. Sterling won the one-sided fight via TKO in the second round, marking Sterling’s first strike stoppage in eight years.
According to Sports Daily, Aljamain Sterling has earned about $2 million from his MMA fights so far. According to The Sports Daily, Aljamain Sterling’s UFC fights have earned him a total of $1,248,000. Sterling earned $230,000 for his last fight against Petr Yan at UFC 259, the largest paycheck of his UFC career. Because of Aljamain Sterling’s UFC champion status, many firms want to associate their brand with him.
As a result, according to his official website and social media accounts, he has partnered with firms such as BodyArmor, DraftKings, and P3. Everlast, Trojan, Findlay Toyota, and Speedy Bear are among his sponsors. ‘Funk Master’ founded a charity called Fighters for Cerebral Palsy. It was a non-profit organization that provided assistance to children with Cerebral Palsy and other special needs.
