Aljamain Sterling delivered one of the most dominant performances of UFC 300. Unfortunately, it was also one of the least exciting — so much so that the ‘Funk Master’ was the only fighter on the night who didn’t get a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
After surrendering his bantamweight title to ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley in August, Sterling made his move to featherweight official at the landmark event, squaring off with the returning Calvin Kattar who had been on the shelf since blowing out his knee in October 2022. Determined to make a statement in his divisional debut, many expected Sterling to snuff out a highlight-reel-worthy win, especially with a $300,000 performance bonus up for grabs.
But instead, Aljamain Sterling was content to smother Kattar for three rounds, utilizing his superior wrestling skills to keep the five-time Fight of the Night winner grounded and score an uninspired unanimous decision.
MMA fans inside T-Mobile Arena and those posting from around the world on X made it quite clear how unimpressed they were with the performance — something the ‘Funk Master’ was quick to defend, calling his victory at UFC 300 the most dominant of the night.
“Our fight on that particular night of UFC 300 was not the most entertaining,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “But it was the most dominant fight I think you could’ve possibly looked at from the entire card from top to bottom. I think I’m arguably the top 3 most dominant on that entire fight card from top to bottom.
“I think I’m arguably the top three most dominant on that entire fight card. So when you look at that, I think to keep it in perspective is, you got a guy [Kattar] who, on average, lands about 4-5 strikes per minute, who was reduced to about 0.5. over 15 minutes.”
Aljamain Sterling’s performance didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but it landed him inside the featherweight division’s top 10, taking the No. 8 spot.
Aljamain Sterling calls for a clash with T-City
Following his success at UFC 300, ‘Funk Master’ called for a clash with 145-pound mainstay and No. 3 ranked contender, Brian Ortega.
“Give me the next best guy,” Sterling said at the post-fight press conference. “I’ll take Brian Ortega, respectfully. He’s a guy I got to train with one time, same management, there’s no bad blood or anything like that. We’re both just trying to chase the same thing. It’s not like he’s my main training partner like Merab [Dvalishvili] was. It’s a different situation. I think I beat a guy like him, and I’m undeniable.”
T-City is coming off a third-round submission victory over former interim champion Yair Rodriguez in February.
