Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling Predicts The Four Most Likely New UFC Champions In 2025

A lot can change across 12 months in MMA which means that at the start of 2025, it’s time to speculate about what the year has in store for fight fans. Aljamain Sterling did just that via his podcast where he went division by division to pick out names that could become UFC champions by […]

A lot can change across 12 months in MMA which means that at the start of 2025, it’s time to speculate about what the year has in store for fight fans. Aljamain Sterling did just that via his podcast where he went division by division to pick out names that could become UFC champions by the end of the year.

The former UFC bantamweight champion picked out four names contenders who he believes have the potential to dethrone the current titleholders in their respective divisions. He started at flyweight where a recently reported clash for March 1 between the #1 and #6-ranked competitors will likely decide the next opponent for Alexandre Pantoja.

“I can see Manel Kape as 125. Dude, he’s just a super fun fighter to watch. He’s very well-rounded, his ground game might be as good as his standup but he’s very well-rounded. If he can keep the fight standing long enough, he’s clean enough where I think he actually gives Pantoja a run for his money.”

Sterling also named a challenger who has already had his title fight made official for the first PPV card of the year. Though he didn’t necessarily pick Arman Tsarukyan to beat Islam Makhachev in their lightweight title rematch, “Funkmaster” believes that he has a good chance of doing it.

“Arman Tsarukyan I think has a very great potential for an upset in January and that’s just based on how he looked when he fought Islam the first time, how he’s looked over the years, growing, and he was only 22.”

The final two picks on Sterling’s list came down to the two heavyweight weight classes in the sport. If there was a consensus list from the fans, you’d probably expect to see both Magomed Ankalaev and Tom Aspinall make the cut.

Ankalaev is believed to be the toughest test for Alex Pereira and in Aspinall’s case, he might not even get the chance to fight Jon Jones before being promoted to the world champion if there title unification never takes place.

“I could see Ankalaev becoming champ in 2025. I could see that.

“Heavyweight I think Tom Aspinall. I don’t see Jon Jones sticking around much longer. I think he does one more fight whether it’s against Pereira or Tommy Aspinall but I think at some point, Tommy Aspinall will become the undisputed champion.”

Former Champion Names Top Five UFC Fights Of 2024, Leaves Out Holloway vs. Gaethje

With 2025 underway, the MMA world is already starting to look ahead to the action that we have to look forward to over the coming 12 months rather than reflecting on the past. 2024 produced some great fights and it’s always fun to look back on them and revisit some of the most exciting moments […]

With 2025 underway, the MMA world is already starting to look ahead to the action that we have to look forward to over the coming 12 months rather than reflecting on the past. 2024 produced some great fights and it’s always fun to look back on them and revisit some of the most exciting moments from throughout the year.

During a recent episode of his podcast, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling did just that by listing what he thinks were the best fights of the previous year. His picks featured some key differences to the consensus picks that you’re sure to see on most peoples lists from 2024.

For a start, the BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje from UFC 300 is nowhere to be seen in the five fights that Sterling discussed. This fight has accumulated the majority of the fight of the year awards but some would argue that in order for it to rank highly in this category, it needs to be a back-and-forth affair.

Holloway versus Gaethje was definitely the most memorable fight of the year but “Blessed” was fairly dominant before he capped the performance off with one of the all-time great UFC knockouts. Sterling applied this same logic when choosing highly competitive fights that saw both men have success.

“The one that comes to mind is probably Du Plessis and Strickland and I think the next one after that, not in any order, I mean back and forth, you got Gamrot versus Dan Hooker and then you also have Islam Makhachev versus Dustin Poirier.”

Sterling later pointed out a pair of split decision contests that are absolutely deserving of their recognition even if they don’t have the name value of the three previous selections. Esteban Ribovics’ war with Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306 was undoubtedly the highlight of the promotion’s debut at the Sphere and though UFC 308 was littered with stand out moments, the battle between Mateusz R?becki and Myktybek Orolbai is the one that “Funkmaster” thinks should take the top spot.

“So I don’t know, I think between all of those, they were all pretty good but the Orolbai one to me, because he was able to, his eye looked like it was swollen shut and they were going to stop the fight. They let him continue even though his eye was a balloon and from there, came back and looked like he was about to get R?becki out of there… great, great fight and I think it showed a lot of heart, a lot of grit and just like the sheer will to win.”

Former Champion Names Top Five UFC Fights Of 2024, Leaves Out Holloway vs. Gaethje

With 2025 underway, the MMA world is already starting to look ahead to the action that we have to look forward to over the coming 12 months rather than reflecting on the past. 2024 produced some great fights and it’s always fun to look back on them and revisit some of the most exciting moments […]

With 2025 underway, the MMA world is already starting to look ahead to the action that we have to look forward to over the coming 12 months rather than reflecting on the past. 2024 produced some great fights and it’s always fun to look back on them and revisit some of the most exciting moments from throughout the year.

During a recent episode of his podcast, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling did just that by listing what he thinks were the best fights of the previous year. His picks featured some key differences to the consensus picks that you’re sure to see on most peoples lists from 2024.

For a start, the BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje from UFC 300 is nowhere to be seen in the five fights that Sterling discussed. This fight has accumulated the majority of the fight of the year awards but some would argue that in order for it to rank highly in this category, it needs to be a back-and-forth affair.

Holloway versus Gaethje was definitely the most memorable fight of the year but “Blessed” was fairly dominant before he capped the performance off with one of the all-time great UFC knockouts. Sterling applied this same logic when choosing highly competitive fights that saw both men have success.

“The one that comes to mind is probably Du Plessis and Strickland and I think the next one after that, not in any order, I mean back and forth, you got Gamrot versus Dan Hooker and then you also have Islam Makhachev versus Dustin Poirier.”

Sterling later pointed out a pair of split decision contests that are absolutely deserving of their recognition even if they don’t have the name value of the three previous selections. Esteban Ribovics’ war with Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306 was undoubtedly the highlight of the promotion’s debut at the Sphere and though UFC 308 was littered with stand out moments, the battle between Mateusz R?becki and Myktybek Orolbai is the one that “Funkmaster” thinks should take the top spot.

“So I don’t know, I think between all of those, they were all pretty good but the Orolbai one to me, because he was able to, his eye looked like it was swollen shut and they were going to stop the fight. They let him continue even though his eye was a balloon and from there, came back and looked like he was about to get R?becki out of there… great, great fight and I think it showed a lot of heart, a lot of grit and just like the sheer will to win.”

Former Champion Names Top Five UFC Fights Of 2024, Leaves Out Holloway vs. Gaethje

With 2025 underway, the MMA world is already starting to look ahead to the action that we have to look forward to over the coming 12 months rather than reflecting on the past. 2024 produced some great fights and it’s always fun to look back on them and revisit some of the most exciting moments […]

With 2025 underway, the MMA world is already starting to look ahead to the action that we have to look forward to over the coming 12 months rather than reflecting on the past. 2024 produced some great fights and it’s always fun to look back on them and revisit some of the most exciting moments from throughout the year.

During a recent episode of his podcast, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling did just that by listing what he thinks were the best fights of the previous year. His picks featured some key differences to the consensus picks that you’re sure to see on most peoples lists from 2024.

For a start, the BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje from UFC 300 is nowhere to be seen in the five fights that Sterling discussed. This fight has accumulated the majority of the fight of the year awards but some would argue that in order for it to rank highly in this category, it needs to be a back-and-forth affair.

Holloway versus Gaethje was definitely the most memorable fight of the year but “Blessed” was fairly dominant before he capped the performance off with one of the all-time great UFC knockouts. Sterling applied this same logic when choosing highly competitive fights that saw both men have success.

“The one that comes to mind is probably Du Plessis and Strickland and I think the next one after that, not in any order, I mean back and forth, you got Gamrot versus Dan Hooker and then you also have Islam Makhachev versus Dustin Poirier.”

Sterling later pointed out a pair of split decision contests that are absolutely deserving of their recognition even if they don’t have the name value of the three previous selections. Esteban Ribovics’ war with Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306 was undoubtedly the highlight of the promotion’s debut at the Sphere and though UFC 308 was littered with stand out moments, the battle between Mateusz R?becki and Myktybek Orolbai is the one that “Funkmaster” thinks should take the top spot.

“So I don’t know, I think between all of those, they were all pretty good but the Orolbai one to me, because he was able to, his eye looked like it was swollen shut and they were going to stop the fight. They let him continue even though his eye was a balloon and from there, came back and looked like he was about to get R?becki out of there… great, great fight and I think it showed a lot of heart, a lot of grit and just like the sheer will to win.”

Aljamain Sterling’s Teammate On Trading Punches With Fan Who Antagonized Dvalishvili At UFC 310: ‘Hopefully No Charges Pressed…’

On his The Weekly Scraps Podcast, Aljamain Sterling looked to recap his recent fight at UFC 310 this past weekend. In his second fight at featherweight, the former bantamweight champion lost a close decision to Movsar Evloev who now occupies the #4-ranking at 145-pounds. Though his prelim bout with the undefeated Russian certainly delivered, there […]

On his The Weekly Scraps Podcast, Aljamain Sterling looked to recap his recent fight at UFC 310 this past weekend. In his second fight at featherweight, the former bantamweight champion lost a close decision to Movsar Evloev who now occupies the #4-ranking at 145-pounds.

Though his prelim bout with the undefeated Russian certainly delivered, there was another major talking point regarding Sterling’s team. His long-time training partner and coach, the bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, got into a heated exchange with a member of the audience inside the T-Mobile Arena.

A video posted on social media shows that as they were walking to the back after the fight, Dvalishvili had to be separated from this fan only for their other teammate and cornerman, Dennis Buzukja, to trade punches with him before security could break it up. Dvalishvili has since shared a video that claims that the fan is actually a close friend of the likes of Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov, who the champion faces at UFC 311 in January.

Buzukja, who last fought in the UFC this past August, detailed his side of the story during the podcast.

“I don’t know if he had touched Merab as we were walking in, but somehow he got Merab’s attention and then Merab went and tapped his shoulder and just gave him the finger and then the guy gave him the finger back or whatever, he got all jumpy.

“Then as the fight finished and we’re walking back on the other side, this f****** guy comes across the whole crowd and then goes and, you’ve seen the video, he grabs Merab’s arm and then says something to him in, I guess Russian or whatever he said, and Merab started going crazy. Then we got into a little physical altercation, but that was really it. So hopefully no charges pressed and we move on.”

Buzukja went on to say that he had first got involved in the confrontation to dry and diffuse the situation but that quickly changed once he was assaulted.

“I went and approached him and I just put his hand down, I was trying to deescalate and tell him, ‘Yo, calm down, bro. Relax.’ Merab was going away, I just wanted to tell him to relax, have some respect. Then he cracked me first, actually, he cracked me with a nice little left hook and then it was just instinct to hit him back. Then security came in, but part of me is like, ‘Should I just drop the bucket and just jump over and start swinging?’ Just go full, f****** degenerate, but I’m glad it didn’t happen that way.”

Aljamain Sterling On UFC 310 Loss To Movsar Evloev: ‘Thought I Might’ve Edged It’

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling isn’t giving up his hope of two-division glory after a setback in Las Vegas on Saturday night. After debuting at 145 pounds with a convincing decision victory over Calvin Kattar this past April, Sterling was tasked with blemishing the perfect record of Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 to break […]

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling isn’t giving up his hope of two-division glory after a setback in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

After debuting at 145 pounds with a convincing decision victory over Calvin Kattar this past April, Sterling was tasked with blemishing the perfect record of Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 to break into the divisional top five and stake his claim for a shot at Ilia Topuria’s gold.

“Funk Master” was narrowly unable to achieve that feat, with his Russian counterpart grinding out a hard-fought decision victory across three rounds at T-Mobile Arena.

The result marks a second defeat in three fights for Sterling, who was thrust off the bantamweight throne by Sean O’Malley before committing to a long-awaited featherweight switch this year.

Nevertheless, the New York native doesn’t appear deterred from his pursuit of a second belt on MMA’s biggest stage.

“Tough fight…I thought I might’ve edged it out against a tough opponent, but we came up short,” Sterling wrote on X. “Thank you all for the love and support and I hope the performance was a fun one for you all to watch. Movsar is a beast, I showed where I belong in this division. For now, we decompress and heal up, then get ready to climb the ladder again. The dream doesn’t stop unless you give up! I’ll be back! #UFC310 #FunkHarbor #Perseverance“

Sterling will now look to rebound in the new year and begin a fresh surge toward the top at 145 pounds.

At 9-0, meanwhile, Evloev appears to have placed himself well for an opportunity at Topuria in 2025. While the Russian is still awaiting his first finish in the UFC, victories over Arnold Allen and Sterling this year have left his claim to a title shot hard to deny.