Entering UFC Fight Night 80, Aljamain Sterling (now 12-0) was already regarded as one of the top prospects in MMA today. Heck, he was already regarded as one of the better bantamweights in the sport. After seeing his performance against Johnny Eduardo, though, it’s hard not to think of him as a potential champion.
Sterling dominated the 10th-ranked Eduardo with a scary thoroughness. While not all fans are familiar with Eduardo, all that needs to be said is that he is the muay thai coach at Nova Uniao, home to the likes of Renan Barao, Eduardo Dantas and Jose Aldo. He has scary striking and vicious stopping power…and Sterling showed absolutely no fear.
The first round saw Sterling hang at a comfortable range, checking leg kicks and working his jab, before nailing a picture-perfect takedown. The second round, however, saw Sterling get even more comfortable, as he peppered Eduardo with body kicks and ruthlessly worked his striking game in the pocket.
Eventually, he wrenched Eduardo down with a single-leg takedown and got to work on ground-and-pound. Then came one of the scariest guillotines you’ll see:
Eduardo tapped quickly but by the time his fingertips met Sterling’s arm, he was already being lifted off the ground by his neck. Luckily, the referee was attentive and quick to break things apart, which saved Eduardo from potentially serious damage.
When he had the microphone in front of him for the post-fight interview, however, he didn’t call out another UFC fighter. Instead, he set his sights on the biggest payday in combat sports, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The bantamweight has had a beef with Mayweather since the boxer made advances toward his girlfriend, a fact that doesn’t sit well with Sterling.
While it’s incredibly unlikely that Sterling will get the opportunity to fight Mayweather, there is no shortage of intrigue for his next fight. The Serra-Longo product was already coming off an equally impressive stoppage win over another top-10 veteran, Takeya Mizugaki, and was sitting pretty as the No. 5 bantamweight in the UFC rankings (and was sitting at No. 6 on the Bleacher Report MMA Rankings). This fight cements his place as a top-five name. Regardless of who that fight comes against, Sterling is a must-watch fighter at this point.
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