Reigning UFC bantamweight world champion Aljamain Sterling has received his first Hall of Fame induction ahead of a highly anticipated return to the Octagon later this year.
‘Funk Master’ is slated for his second-straight main event slot on August 19th as he is set to square off with No. 2 ranked contender Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in Boston. It will be a relatively short turnaround for Sterling after his third successful title defense against former champ-champ Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in May.
This weekend, Cage Fury Fighting Championship announced that Aljamain Sterling would be inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame, an honor the ‘Funk Master’ was truly grateful for.
“Thank you guys for inducting me into the [Cage Fury FC] Hall of Fame!” Sterling tweeted. “You guys gave me a great opportunity to develop my skills against some of the toughest competitors in the Northeast regional circuit. 5 fights, 4 finishes, 3 title defences, [phone] to the UFC!”
.Thank you guys for inducting me into the @CFFCMMA Hall Of Fame! You guys gave me a great opportunity to develop my skills against some of toughest competitors in the Northeast regional circuit.
5 fights
4 finishes
3 title defencesto the @UFC!
•#CFFC #StartedFromTheBottom pic.twitter.com/tdybf6qg47— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) June 16, 2023
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Aljamain Sterling Continues to Dominate Despite Fan Backlash
Aljamain Sterling competed under the CFFC banner between 2011 and 2013 before getting called up by Uncle Dana. During his run, Sterling went 5-0 with four finishes. He captured the promotion’s bantamweight championship with a unanimous decision win over Sean Santella and went on to defend the title three times before exiting the promotion.
Despite being on a nine-fight win streak with three successful title defenses under the UFC banner, Aljamain Sterling has failed to connect with fans. Funk Master’ has regularly been the subject of harassment on social media, largely stemming from his controversial disqualification win over Petr Yan to capture the bantamweight title in 2021. Since then, Sterling has earned decision wins over former champions Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo. Even with his impressive resume, fans are often dismissive of his accomplishments.
Aljamain Sterling will attempt to flip the script this August when he meets veritable fan favorite Sean O’Malley in a massive bantamweight main event clash.