Aljamain Sterling shares his goal for the upcoming UFC 292

Aljamain Sterling May Fight at 135 for Final Time at UFC 292 | The MMA Hour

UFC Bantamweight fighter Aljamain Sterling shared his aspirations for achieving all-time great status as he prepares for the upcoming UFC 292 fight. In his second consecutive UFC pay-per-view appearance, he is set to defend his title against “Sugar” Sean O’Malley.

“I’m proud to be headlining it and I can’t wait to go out there and cement my name as one of the greatest of all time,” Sterling said.

Before this matchup, Sterling had an exceptional nine-fight winning streak, making divisional history. He also held the record for the most consecutive successful title defenses in the 135-pound weight class. Additionally, “The Funkmaster” holds the record for the most wins in bantamweight history, currently standing at 14 and counting.

Discussing the upcoming bout, Sterling drew a parallel between this fight and the clash between current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira in October last year.

During that period, Makhachev was riding a 10-fight winning streak and being touted as the successor to the previous title holder, Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, his last two wins were against last-minute replacements, and he did not defeat any fighters ranked in the Top 5 or Top 10 before he clashed with Oliveira.

The fight resulted in Makhachev beating Oliveira to claim the title. Sterling acknowledges that O’Malley has a similar chance, but he is determined not to let their fight unfold the same way.

“For me, this is about being who I say I am while going out there and doing it with style points. It’s never easy, but I want it to look that way,” Sterling added.

Five days before the fight, Sterling revealed on The MMA Hour that he weighed 149 pounds after an intense workout. Sterling emphasized that a typical cut during fight week ranged between 20-25 pounds, saying, “I would then compete like an animal, almost like an Energizer bunny for days.”

He also mentioned he is “slowing down” due to age. Two weeks ago, as Sterling turned 34 and prepared for the O’Malley fight, he solidified his belief that this is likely his last match in the 135 division, expressing a “99 percent” certainty.