Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Antoine Sterling (born July 31, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. Sterling is the first UFC champion to win a title by disqualification. He also competed for Cage Fury Fighting Championship, where he is a former Cage Fury Fighting Bantamweight Champion. As of April 28, 2026, he is #4 in Meta UFC featherweight rankings.

Background Sterling was born in 1989 in Uniondale, New York to Jamaican parents, Cleveland and Sophia Sterling. He grew up with seven full siblings and at least 12 half-siblings. After his freshman year, Sterling transferred to Cortland and eventually became a two-time NCAA Division III All-American with a record of 87–27. Sterling graduated from Cortland with a bachelor's degree in physical education.

After years of absence from wrestling competition, Sterling wrestled and grappled two-time NCAA DI wrestling All-American and sophomore from Penn State Roman Bravo-Young, on December 22, 2020, at the NLWC IV. The rules consisted of six minutes of freestyle wrestling and three minutes of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Sterling was defeated by points in the first match 6-4 but tapped out Bravo-Young in the second one.

Sterling's nickname “The Funk Master” comes from his unorthodox wrestling style.

Sterling started his professional career 2–0, before earning a shot at the ROC Bantamweight Championship. He would go on to defeat Claudio Ledesma by split decision to capture the title. Although this would turn out to be his last bout under the Ring of Combat organization, as he would later sign with Cage Fury Fighting Championships.

Sterling made his CFFC debut in a Featherweight bout against Evan Chmieleski. He won the fight by TKO with just two seconds left in the first round. This victory earned him a shot at the vacant CFFC Bantamweight Championship. Sterling defeated Sean Santella via unanimous decision to capture his second professional title. He would go on to defend the CFFC Bantamweight Championship on three occasions. Sterling finished all three of his title defenses by rear naked choke, which earned him the opportunity to compete in the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2014 Sterling was scheduled to make his UFC debut at UFC 170 against Lucas Martins, replacing an injured Bryan Caraway. However Martins was eventually injured as well and replaced by fellow UFC newcomer Cody Gibson. Sterling won the fight via unanimous decision.

Sterling made his second UFC appearance on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45 against Hugo Viana. After controlling the majority of the fight Sterling landed a barrage of punches from the mount position causing the referee to wave off the fight late in the third round.

Sterling was expected to face Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine on October 4, 2014. However, Sterling pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Rob Font.

Following a quick recovery, Sterling was promptly rebooked and was expected to face Frankie Saenz on November 8, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 55. However, Saenz was forced to withdraw from the bout and in turn promotional newcomer Michael Imperato was briefly linked as a replacement. However, his signing was quickly rescinded and as a result, Sterling was pulled from the event altogether.

2015 Sterling was expected to face Manny Gamburyan on April 18, 2015, at UFC on Fox 15. However, Gamburyan pulled out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by Takeya Mizugaki. Sterling won the fight by submission in the third round.

Sterling faced Johnny Eduardo on December 10, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 80. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

2016 Sterling next faced Bryan Caraway on May 29, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 88. Despite dominating the first round, Sterling began to tire and would go on to lose the following two rounds and lose via split decision.

Sterling was expected to face Raphael Assunção on December 9, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 102. However, Sterling pulled out of the fight on November 23 citing injury. Assunção was subsequently removed from the card.

2017 The bout with Assunção was rescheduled and took place on January 28, 2017, at UFC on Fox 23. Sterling lost the fight via split decision.

Sterling faced Augusto Mendes on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Sterling faced Renan Barão on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. The fight was initially contracted to be contested at bantamweight, however on June 28, the CSAC announced that they would not license Barão to compete at that weight due to his struggle to make the required weight at UFC 177. The bout with Sterling proceeded as scheduled at a catchweight of 140 lbs. Sterling won the bout by unanimous decision.

Sterling was expected to face Rani Yahya on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 123. However, Yahya pulled out from the event on November 7, 2017, due to injury, and was replaced by Marlon Moraes. He lost the fight via KO in the first round.

2018 Sterling faced Brett Johns on April 21, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 128. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Sterling faced Cody Stamann on September 8, 2018, at UFC 228. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

2019 Sterling faced Jimmie Rivera on February 17, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 1. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Sterling faced Pedro Munhoz on June 8, 2019, at UFC 238. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

2020 Sterling faced Cory Sandhagen on June 6, 2020, at UFC 250 in a bout that UFC president Dana White confirmed to be a bantamweight title eliminator. He won the bout via submission in the first round. This win earned him his first Performance of the Night.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Sterling was expected to face Petr Yan for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on December 12, 2020, at UFC 256. However, on November 22, it was announced the bout was scrapped from the UFC 256 card due to undisclosed reasons and the bout took place on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259. Sterling won the fight by disqualification due to an intentional illegal knee in the fourth round, becoming the new UFC Bantamweight Champion. He became the first fighter in UFC history to win a championship by disqualification.

A rematch with Yan was expected to take place on October 30, 2021, at UFC 267. However, on September 25, Sterling withdrew from the contest due to lingering neck issues from surgery. The pair was initially rescheduled to meet at UFC 272 on March 5, 2022, but the bout was pushed back to UFC 273 on April 9. Sterling won the close bout and defended the title via split decision. 11 of 18 MMA media outlets scored the bout for Sterling, while 5 scored it as a draw.

Sterling successfully defended his title against T.J. Dillashaw on October 22, 2022, at UFC 280. Following a shoulder dislocation suffered by Dillashaw in the first, Sterling defended the title via TKO in the second round, marking his first victory by strikes in nearly eight years.

Sterling faced Henry Cejudo on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288. He won the fight by split decision and retained his title. 21 of 23 MMA media outlets scored the bout for Sterling, while 2 scored it for Cejudo.

Sterling faced Sean O'Malley on August 19, 2023, at UFC 292. He lost the fight by second-round technical knockout and lost his title.

Move to Featherweight Sterling moved up to the featherweight division and faced Calvin Kattar on April 13, 2024, at UFC 300. He won the fight by unanimous decision. On an episode of The MMA Hour following the win, Sterling confessed he would have considered retiring if he lost to Kattar.

Sterling was scheduled to face Movsar Evloev on October 5, 2024 at UFC 307. However, Sterling withdrew from the fight due to an injury sustained in sparring. The pairing was eventually rescheduled to UFC 310 on December 7, 2024. Sterling lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Sterling faced former UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Brian Ortega on August 23, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 257. Originally slated as a featherweight bout, the fight was changed to a 153-pound catchweight after reports that Ortega experienced complications during his weight cut. Sterling won the fight by unanimous decision.

Sterling faced Youssef Zalal on April 25, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 274. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Professional grappling career Sterling has also competed in submission grappling, defeating Damien Nitkin at High Rollerz 18 on August 13, 2022.

Sterling was originally booked to compete in a superfight against Nathaniel Wood at Polaris 25 on September 30, 2023. Wood withdrew from the match on a few week's notice and was replaced by Mike Grundy. Sterling defeated Grundy by decision.

Sterling faced Kevin Dantzler in the main event of Fury Pro Grappling 8 on December 30, 2023. The bout was largely uneventful, with Dantzler immediately sitting down and spending the entirety in bottom position. The highlights of the match came when Dantzler attempted an armbar which Sterling defended by picking him up and spinning him around, along with dragging Dantzler around the mat by his ankle. Dantzler won the bout by decision. Sterling criticized the result, saying, "I don’t even know how they score that. Another man can’t drag his ass cheeks on the mat and think that’s a win, doing absolutely nothing."

Sterling competed against Chase Hooper in the main event of ADXC 2 on January 19, 2024. He won the match by split decision.

Sterling faced Jay Jay Wilson on July 25, 2024 at Karate Combat's Pit Submission Series 7. He won the bout by points in the overtime round.

Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC Bantamweight Championship (One time) First UFC champion to win a title by disqualification Three successful title defenses Tied (Merab Dvalishvili) for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC Bantamweight division history (3) Tied (Dominick Cruz, Renan Barão & Merab Dvalishvili) for second most title fight wins in UFC Bantamweight division history (4) Tied (Dominick Cruz) for most wins in UFC/WEC Bantamweight division history (14) Second longest win streak in UFC Bantamweight division history (9) 2018: Ranked #3 Submission of the Year 2020: Half-Year Awards: Best Submission of the 1HY & Ranked #3 Submission of the Year 2022: Ranked #7 Fighter of the Year & Ranked #7 Upset of the Year

Cage Fury Fighting Championships CFFC Bantamweight Championship (One time) Three successful title defenses 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, tied with Khabib Nurmagomedov and A.J. McKee World MMA Awards 2022 Comeback of the Year MMA Fighting 2022 Second Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record Win

Youssef Zalal Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Brian Ortega Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang

Shanghai, China Loss

Movsar Evloev Decision (unanimous) UFC 310

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Calvin Kattar Decision (unanimous) UFC 300

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Sean O'Malley TKO (punches) UFC 292

Boston, Massachusetts, United States Win

Henry Cejudo Decision (split) UFC 288

Newark, New Jersey, United States Win

T.J. Dillashaw TKO (punches) UFC 280

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Petr Yan Decision (split) UFC 273

Jacksonville, Florida, United States Win

Petr Yan DQ (illegal knee) UFC 259

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Cory Sandhagen Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 250

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Pedro Munhoz Decision (unanimous) UFC 238

Chicago, Illinois, United States Win

Jimmie Rivera Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Win

Cody Stamann Submission (Suloev stretch) UFC 228

Dallas, Texas, United States Win

Brett Johns Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Loss

Marlon Moraes KO (knee) UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega

Fresno, California, United States Win

Renan Barão Decision (unanimous) UFC 214

Anaheim, California, United States Win

Augusto Mendes Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Loss

Raphael Assunção Decision (split) UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña

Denver, Colorado, United States Loss

Bryan Caraway Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Johnny Eduardo Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Takeya Mizugaki Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold

Newark, New Jersey, United States Win

Hugo Viana TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Cody Gibson Decision (unanimous) UFC 170

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Joel Roberts Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fury FC 30

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States Win

Sidemar Honorio Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fury FC 16

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Casey Johnson Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fury FC 14

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Sean Santella Decision (unanimous) Cage Fury FC 11

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Evan Chmielski TKO (punches) Cage Fury FC 10

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Claudio Ledesma Decision (split) Ring of Combat 36

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Harley Leimbach Submission (rear-naked choke) Extreme Fight Club: Bragging Rights 2

Erie, Pennsylvania, United States Win

Sergio da Silva Decision (unanimous) Urban Conflict Championships 4: Supremacy

Morristown, New Jersey, United States Submission grappling record 4 Matches, 3 Wins, 1 Losses 0 Draws Result Rec. Opponent Method Event Date Location Win 3–1 Jay Jay Wilson Decision (points) Karate Combat 48 July 25, 2024 Nashville, Tennessee, United States Win 2–1 Chase Hooper Decision (split) ADXC 2 January 19, 2024 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Loss 1–1 Kevin Dantzler Decision (majority) Fury Pro Grappling 8 December 30, 2023 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Win 1–0 Mike Grundy Decision (unanimous) Polaris 25: Absolute GP September 30, 2023 Ebbw Vale, Wales

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