Former UFC Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has revealed the he doesn’t see himself competing at 135lbs ever again.
‘Funk Master’ is preparing to make the walk for the first time as a Featherweight, when he will face Kalvin Kattar as part of the huge UFC 300 card set for April 13th.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Sterling admitted he felt that the cut to 135lbs had been affecting his performances ever since he faced Pedro Munhoz at UFC 238 and that he feels the Bantamweight chapter of his career could very well be closed. He said:
“I felt since the Pedro fight, is when I started to feel like a big difference in my weight gain and how hard it is and my energy levels when I cut the weight to 35. So now at 45, I'm hoping that I'm going to be back to that and I'll have that energy again and I'll be able to do more fun skitz and things like that.
“But also going back to the competitions, I could be a little bit more active because the weight cut, is still going to be hard, but ten extra pounds, man, it's a game changer. I feel like I lose a lot when I get down from 45 to 35. I feel like the best parts of me are left in the gym just because I deplete myself so much.”
When asked whether he would consider competing at 135lbs ever again, Sterling was relatively definitive with his answer- confessing that that even thought of it makes his stomach turn.
“I don't think I'm going to fight at 35 ever again. Just the thought of it gives me a headache. It makes me nauseous. People tell me I wear it well and I don't look like I'm hurting. ‘You had such a great weight cut.’ I'm like, I am literally dying inside. I can poker face it all I want because mentally, that's just the way I've always been.”
Sterling has a big task ahead of him, in the shape of Calvin Kattar, as he joins the Featherweight ranks. Explaining how the bout ultimately came to be, ‘Funk Master’ admitted he was offered numerous opponents but landed on Kattar as he was the highest ranked of the names – once again looking to make his intentions very clear in a pursuit for UFC Featherweight gold.
“Well, they offered four names and Kattar was the highest ranked. Maybe I'm an idiot for this. Maybe I need to take the Drakkar Klose road and just go give me the easiest opponent for the most amount of money. The Chael Sonnen route. But I want to fight the biggest and baddest dudes.
“And at the end of the day, I think that's what matters the most. How many of those guys were actually able to beat? How did those fights look? What was your strategy like? (What) My skill set was to his skill set, so there's a lot that goes into it. And that was the fight that made the most sense to me.
“He's the highest ranked out of the four that they offered, and I think I beat him and I beat him in good fashion I think, and by no means am I saying I am running through him like I have no idea what's going to happen. I can't predict the future. All I can do is be as confident as I can be and know I put the goddamn work in and I'm going to be doing that.
“But I know if I beat him the way that I think I'm capable of doing, I think I'm right next in line for a title shot. I don't think that's too farfetched of a thing. I mean, you look at the guys at the top that really fought for the belt. If Volkanovski wins again, I think the door is wide open.”
UFC 300 continues to look more impressive every time a new bout is confirmed for the card and even though the main event still yet to be announced, fans are in for a spectacular night on April 13th.
