Aljamain Sterling is well aware that his victory over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 won’t be enough to propel him into an immediate title shot at 145 pounds.
While “The Funkmaster” controlled the fight with takedowns and control to sweep the scorecards in his featherweight debut, it wasn’t the type of effort that turned heads, particularly on a night filled with memorable performances. Sterling elected to move to 145 pounds after losing the bantamweight crown to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 last August, ending a reign that spanned three successful title defenses.
“It was my first time . This is the most nerves I’ve had for a fight ever. It’s an unknown coming up. Tough veteran. A guy who’s tough to put away, beat up a lot of good guys. It’s a scary matchup. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I just wanted to do my best. Thankfully it was enough to get the job done.”
“I know it was very much one-sided, but it felt like a lot of positions he did good stalling out,” Sterling said. “It was like, if he can stall me there, how much can I really do? Then, it’s like the measurement between taking the risk and losing position altogther and putting him back in a position where he’s more favorable.
Though he was able to impose his will through grappling, Sterling admitted that the size difference between Kattar and previous bantamweight foes was noticeable.
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