Aljamain Sterling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aljamain Sterling |
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Sterling at UFC 228 in 2018
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| Born | Aljamain Antoine Sterling July 31, 1989 Uniondale, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Funk Master |
| Residence | Massapequa, New York, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 146 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) |
| Division | Featherweight (2011, 2024–present) Bantamweight (2011–2023) |
| Reach | 71 in (180 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Uniondale, New York, U.S. |
| Team | Serra-Longo Fight Team |
| Trainer | Ray Longo Matt Serra Eric Nicksick |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Matt Serra |
| Wrestling | NCAA Division III Wrestling All-American |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 29 |
| Wins | 24 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 12 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By decision | 3 |
| University | Morrisville State College, BA in physical education |
Aljamain Antoine Sterling (born July 31, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is known by his nickname, "Funk Master." He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Sterling is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. He was the first UFC champion to win a title by disqualification.
Sterling also competed for Cage Fury Fighting Championships, where he was a Bantamweight Champion. As of September 2024, he is ranked #9 in the UFC featherweight division.
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Aljamain Sterling's Early Life and Wrestling Journey
Aljamain Sterling was born in 1989 in Uniondale, New York. His parents, Cleveland and Sophia Sterling, were from Jamaica. He grew up in a large family with many siblings. To avoid bad influences, Sterling started wrestling in high school in 2004.
He went to Morrisville State College to continue wrestling. There, he met Jon Jones and became interested in MMA. Sterling later transferred to Cortland. He became a two-time NCAA Division III All-American wrestler. His college wrestling record was 87 wins and 27 losses. He earned a bachelor's degree in physical education.
Sterling's unique wrestling style earned him the nickname "The Funk Master."
Aljamain Sterling's Mixed Martial Arts Career
While at Cortland, Sterling was invited by Jon Jones to try MMA. He started training at a gym called The BombSquad. After a few professional fights, Sterling moved to the Serra-Longo Fight Team.
Starting His Professional MMA Career
Sterling began his amateur MMA career in 2009. He had a strong amateur record of 6 wins and 1 loss. He won two amateur championships before turning professional.
He started his professional career with two wins. Then, he won the ROC Bantamweight Championship by defeating Claudio Ledesma. After this, he joined the CFFC.
Sterling made his CFFC debut in a Featherweight fight. He won by TKO. This win led him to fight for the vacant CFFC Bantamweight Championship. He won the title by beating Sean Santella. Sterling successfully defended his CFFC title three times. He won all three defenses by rear naked choke. These wins earned him a spot in the UFC.
Fighting in the UFC
Sterling joined the UFC in 2014.
2014: First UFC Fights
Sterling's first UFC fight was at UFC 170 against Cody Gibson. He won the fight by unanimous decision. His second UFC fight was against Hugo Viana at UFC Fight Night 45. Sterling won by TKO in the third round.
2015: More Wins
In 2015, Sterling was set to fight Manny Gamburyan. However, Gamburyan got injured. Sterling then fought Takeya Mizugaki at UFC on Fox 15 and won by submission. Later that year, he faced Johnny Eduardo at UFC Fight Night 80. Sterling won this fight by submission in the second round.
2016-2017: Ups and Downs
Sterling faced Bryan Caraway in May 2016. He lost this fight by split decision. In 2017, he fought Raphael Assunção and lost by split decision.
He bounced back by defeating Augusto Mendes by unanimous decision in April 2017. In July 2017, Sterling fought Renan Barão at UFC 214. He won this fight by unanimous decision. Later that year, he lost to Marlon Moraes by knockout.
2018-2019: Building a Win Streak
Sterling had a strong year in 2018. He defeated Brett Johns by unanimous decision in April. In September, he won against Cody Stamann by submission at UFC 228.
He continued his winning streak in 2019. Sterling beat Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz, both by unanimous decision.
2020: Title Shot Earned
In June 2020, Sterling faced Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250. This fight was important because the winner would get a chance to fight for the UFC Bantamweight title. Sterling won quickly by submission in the first round. This impressive win earned him a "Performance of the Night" bonus.
UFC Bantamweight Champion
Sterling was set to fight Petr Yan for the UFC Bantamweight Championship in March 2021 at UFC 259. Sterling won the fight by disqualification. This happened because Yan landed an illegal knee strike in the fourth round. Sterling became the new UFC Bantamweight Champion. He was the first fighter in UFC history to win a championship this way.
A rematch with Yan happened in April 2022 at UFC 273. Sterling won this close fight by split decision, defending his title.
Sterling successfully defended his title again against T.J. Dillashaw in October 2022 at UFC 280. He won by TKO in the second round.
In May 2023, Sterling faced Henry Cejudo at UFC 288. He won by split decision and kept his title. This win set a new record for the most consecutive title defenses in the UFC Bantamweight division (3).
Sterling lost his title to Sean O'Malley in August 2023 at UFC 292. He lost by TKO in the second round.
Moving to Featherweight
After losing his Bantamweight title, Sterling moved up to the Featherweight division. His first fight in this new division was against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in April 2024. Sterling won the fight by unanimous decision. He later said that he would have considered retiring if he had lost to Kattar.
Sterling fought Movsar Evloev in December 2024 at UFC 310. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Aljamain Sterling's Grappling Career
Besides MMA, Sterling also competes in submission grappling. This is a sport focused on wrestling and jiu-jitsu techniques without striking.
- In August 2022, he defeated Damien Nitkin at High Rollerz 18.
- In September 2023, he competed at Polaris 25 and defeated Mike Grundy.
- In December 2023, he faced Kevin Dantzler at Fury Pro Grappling 8. Dantzler won this match by decision.
- In January 2024, Sterling competed against Chase Hooper at ADXC 2 and won by split decision.
- In July 2024, he won against Jay Jay Wilson at Karate Combat's Pit Submission Series 7.
Aljamain Sterling's Achievements
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
- First UFC champion to win a title by disqualification
- Three successful title defenses
- Most consecutive title defenses in UFC Bantamweight division history (3)
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Cory Sandhagen
- Most wins in UFC Bantamweight division history (14)
- Second longest win streak in UFC Bantamweight division history (9)
- UFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
- Cage Fury Fighting Championships
- CFFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
- Three successful title defenses
- CFFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
- Ring of Combat
- ROC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2018 Submission of the Year vs. Cody Stamann
- 2020 June Submission of the Month vs. Cory Sandhagen
- Cageside Press
- 2020 "Submission of the Year" vs. Cory Sandhagen
- World MMA Awards
- 2022 Comeback of the Year
Professional Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 29 matches | 24 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 2 |
| By submission | 8 | 0 |
| By decision | 12 | 3 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 24–5 | Movsar Evloev | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 310 | December 7, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 24–4 | Calvin Kattar | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 300 | April 13, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Return to Featherweight. |
| Loss | 23–4 | Sean O'Malley | TKO (punches) | UFC 292 | August 19, 2023 | 2 | 0:51 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Lost the UFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 23–3 | Henry Cejudo | Decision (split) | UFC 288 | May 6, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Defended the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Broke the record for the most consecutive UFC Bantamweight title defenses (3). |
| Win | 22–3 | T.J. Dillashaw | TKO (punches) | UFC 280 | October 22, 2022 | 2 | 3:44 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Defended the UFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 21–3 | Petr Yan | Decision (split) | UFC 273 | April 9, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Defended and unified the UFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–3 | Petr Yan | DQ (illegal knee) | UFC 259 | March 6, 2021 | 4 | 4:29 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won the UFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 19–3 | Cory Sandhagen | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 250 | June 6, 2020 | 1 | 1:28 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | UFC Bantamweight title eliminator. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 18–3 | Pedro Munhoz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 238 | June 8, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 17–3 | Jimmie Rivera | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez | February 17, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 16–3 | Cody Stamann | Submission (Suloev stretch) | UFC 228 | September 8, 2018 | 2 | 3:42 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 15–3 | Brett Johns | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee | April 21, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 14–3 | Marlon Moraes | KO (knee) | UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega | December 9, 2017 | 1 | 1:07 | Fresno, California, United States | |
| Win | 14–2 | Renan Barão | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 214 | July 29, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | Catchweight (140 lb) bout. |
| Win | 13–2 | Augusto Mendes | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis | April 15, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | |
| Loss | 12–2 | Raphael Assunção | Decision (split) | UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña | January 28, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 12–1 | Bryan Caraway | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt | May 29, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–0 | Johnny Eduardo | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant | December 10, 2015 | 2 | 4:18 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–0 | Takeya Mizugaki | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold | April 18, 2015 | 3 | 2:11 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 10–0 | Hugo Viana | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller | July 16, 2014 | 3 | 3:50 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 9–0 | Cody Gibson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 170 | February 22, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–0 | Joel Roberts | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CFFC 30 | November 2, 2013 | 1 | 1:49 | King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States | Defended the CFFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Sidemar Honorio | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CFFC 16 | August 24, 2012 | 2 | 4:05 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Defended the CFFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Casey Johnson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CFFC 14 | April 14, 2012 | 3 | 2:11 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Defended the CFFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 | Sean Santella | Decision (unanimous) | CFFC 11 | October 22, 2011 | 5 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Return to Bantamweight. Won the CFFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Evan Chmielski | TKO (punches) | CFFC 10 | July 23, 2011 | 1 | 4:58 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 3–0 | Claudio Ledesma | Decision (split) | Ring of Combat 36 | June 17, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Won the Ring of Combat Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 2–0 | Harley Leimbach | Submission (rear-naked choke) | EFC: Bragging Rights 2 | May 21, 2011 | 1 | 4:01 | Erie, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Sergio da Silva | Decision (unanimous) | UCC 4: Supremacy | April 22, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Morristown, New Jersey, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
Pay-per-view Bouts
| No | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 288 | Sterling vs. Cejudo | May 6, 2023 | Prudential Center | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Not Disclosed |
| 2. | UFC 292 | Sterling vs. O'Malley | August 19, 2023 | TD Garden | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Not Disclosed |
See Also
In Spanish: Aljamain Sterling para niños
- List of current UFC fighters
- List of male mixed martial artists
