Aljamain Sterling has dealt with his share of haters in the two years since he became the UFC bantamweight champion, and his coach expects that to continue whether he wins or loses his next fight.
Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will look to make his third consecutive title defense when he takes on former dual champ Henry Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the UFC 288 main event on May 6 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Sterling, 33, first won the 135-pound title in March 2021 thanks to an illegal knee that caused then-champ Petr Yan to be disqualified in a fight he was winning. Fans took exception to the manner in which Sterling became champion and let him hear about it on social media.
For his two title defenses, Sterling won a split decision against Yan in April 2022 followed by a second-round TKO of T.J. Dillashaw, who later revealed his shoulder popped out numerous times in training and that he dislocated it again early in the first round. Fair or not, the unfortunate circumstances took some of the luster off of Sterling’s performance against Dillashaw.
Given how much he’s been doubted, you might think Sterling will enter UFC 288 with a chip on his shoulder. But coach Ray Longo doesn’t see it that way.
“I think Aljo’s got the mindset where he’s just gonna go in and fight,” Longo told MMA Junkie Radio. “The more I get to know him, the more I appreciate (him), like the way he thinks, the way he dealt with the adversity after the illegal knee, and have to sit there for a year and just get absolutely tortured. But it’s always gonna be something.”
For this fight, that something could be the fact that Cejudo, 36, is coming out of retirement for his first fight in three years. Longo said don’t be surprised by the reactions even if Sterling dominates Cejudo.
“If Aljo wins this fight, (haters will say) Henry had a three-year layoff. ‘He didn’t fight for three years. What do you think? He was rusty.’ It doesn’t matter, you know what I mean?” Longo said. “I think Aljo’s smart enough, he’s just gonna fight one fight at a time, take his money, and be very, very happy and grateful for everything he has. I don’t even know if there is a chip on his shoulder now. He’s just very, very happy to be in the position he’s in, and he’s just gonna enjoy himself. I don’t even think he’s putting pressure on himself, to be honest with you, because there’s always gonna be something. It’s never clean.”
Prior to retiring unexpectedly at UFC 249, Cejudo was on a six-fight winning streak, which included defeating Demetrious Johnson, Dillashaw and most recently Dominick Cruz. Cejudo, who won an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, is motivated to reassert his self-proclaimed status as “the greatest combat sports athlete in history,” and Longo expects nothing less than that.
“I think Henry’s a student of the game. I don’t think he’s messing around, so I’m expecting the best Henry,” Longo said. “However, a three-year layoff is a three-year layoff. If he did it right, it shouldn’t make a difference, but I hope it does. But he’s not a stupid guy. You watch him break down fights, I like listening to him talk, (and) I think he’s intelligent. I think maybe he might be overlooking Aljo. He sees something he thinks he’s gonna exploit easily, and I think that might be his mistake.
Henry, he’s smart, a student of the game, an Olympic champion. He’s got a great mindset, he’s a fantastic competitor. This is a really tough fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.