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Aljamain Sterling isn’t certain he could make a fast turnaround for his subsequent title protection, however given the circumstances, he’s open to the concept.
At UFC 288, Sterling efficiently defended his bantamweight title with a break up resolution over Henry Cejudo. Instantly after profitable, Sterling confronted off with No. 1 contender Sean O’Malley contained in the cage, setting the stage for his or her marquee struggle later this 12 months.
That struggle could also be coming sooner reasonably than later. After the occasion, UFC President Dana White confirmed it will be subsequent, suggesting it “probably” will take place in August, on the UFC’s rumored return to Boston for UFC 292. That’s a fast turnaround for a champion who simply went 25 arduous minutes towards Cejudo, however one which “The Funk Grasp” mentioned is likely to be doable if his physique permits.
“This might be the quickest turnaround, I might think about, for a UFC champion,” Sterling instructed Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I’ll stand corrected, however I believe Volkanovski was 4, 4 and a half [months] from the Abu Dhabi card? … We’d be neck and neck. It’s fast.
“In an ideal world, it wouldn’t. However on the finish of the day, I’m an athlete. I’m a prize fighter on the finish of the day. For me, I’m motivated by competitors, and naturally, the prize. Am I banged up? I’ve bought some issues. The standard. If I can begin coaching subsequent week, I believe it’s potential. If I might begin. I’ll simply have to attend till subsequent week.
“I’ve bought to get a pair X-rays nonetheless. I crushed my legs on Henry, smashing him. I didn’t care if I used to be going go kick his elbow, I didn’t care if I used to be going to kick his kneecap. I smashed my ft up fairly good on him. So each my ft are fairly swollen, left one is so much worse, but it surely’s victory wounds, so it’s all good.”
If the struggle does occur on that timeline, it will be a 15-week turnaround for Sterling — the second-shortest of his UFC profession.
For the champion, there are two main elements for his resolution to just accept the struggle: The chance to earn a considerable payday, and the danger, or lack thereof, within the struggle.
“On the finish of the day, it’s competitors and the prize,” Sterling mentioned. “It’s simply bought to make sense. I’ve bought to be feeling good, and up to now we’re trending in the appropriate route. On the finish of the day, it’s good enterprise, as a result of this card is meant to be huge. Supposedly, from what I’m being instructed behind the scenes, Dana is actually going to stack this card. And if he stacks this card, that’s a superb motivator in itself to be on an enormous card, since you don’t get pay-per-view factors in the event you’re not the champ. So it’s like, there’s loads of issues that go into this. And to pull a man like O’Malley down, what’s this man going to do to me? Actually?
“I’m not attempting to be disrespectful, it’s a delicate jab, but it surely’s the reality. It’s a struggle, something might occur. However on the finish of the day, I believe everyone knows what his kryptonite is, and it’s unproven within the octagon. We’ve seen him one time on his again and he was like a fish out on land. ‘Chito’ [Marlon Vera] smashed him and despatched him house. I believe ‘Chito’ may need hit him one time, and his eyes rolled again in his head. That’s not a superb signal.
“He bought hit one time and he was out, so it lets me have slightly bit extra confidence — I don’t assume you’ll be able to develop a chin over time. I hit him squarely, take him down, that’s struggle is pretty much as good as over, in all probability in a single.”
Coming off a win over Petr Yan in October, O’Malley is at present the No. 3 ranked bantamweight within the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and is among the largest stars within the sport.
That being mentioned, O’Malley’s excessive rating comes largely on the again of his win over Yan, versus a sustained monitor file of success like others within the division. Consequently, Sterling admits that had been the circumstances completely different, if as an alternative he was being requested to face somebody like Cejudo on a fast turnaround, he in all probability wouldn’t be open to the concept.
“That’s very completely different — very, very completely different,” Sterling mentioned. “Henry took loads of preparation. I give the man his flowers, he’s a tricky dude, good man. The way in which he makes changes in the midst of the struggle jogs my memory of myself. These are arduous issues to determine and modify to. So if it’s Henry, perhaps not. That’s an trustworthy reply.”
Sterling went on to notice that he does have some lingering points from the Cejudo bout that he would ideally prefer to heal up, together with ongoing bother together with his bicep. Nonetheless, he additionally insisted that finally this can be too good of a possibility to cross up, not only for the cash, however for the legacy as effectively.
“The following two weeks we are able to discover out if this struggle is unquestionably going to occur, if I could make this work, and if my physique is feeling as much as it,” Sterling mentioned. “And once more, I’m a prize fighter. It is a stacked card. This might be some actual life-changing state of affairs, and that’s all the time a superb factor.
“Cash is all the time good, however competitors too. This might be one other probability so as to add one other notch to the belt, one other ruby. And actually making it arduous for the file for anybody to beat it. This weight class is so aggressive, I don’t care who it’s that will get right here, good luck defending the belt as many occasions as I did, good luck defending the belt as many occasions as Dom did. Or twice! It’s going to be a tricky activity. Everybody goes to have a goal in your again, and it’s a superb drawback to have.”
And if it does occur? If Sterling makes the fast turnaround and efficiently defends his title for a file fourth time? Nicely, then it’s on to larger and higher challenges — particularly, a struggle towards the winner of the upcoming featherweight title struggle between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez.
“I win this struggle, I believe it’s my final struggle at [bantamweight]” Sterling mentioned. “Respectfully, I might like to struggle Yair or Volkanovski. I believe it’s only a enjoyable struggle, I believe it’s one other alternative to chase greatness. … I’d prefer to say I used to be double champ-champ. It will be good.
“The way in which I see it’s, I defend the belt, we’ll see what occurs with the Volk struggle, and go from there. We’ll see what the timeline seems to be like, and see if there’s an actual risk to not have the division tied up the place the UFC will enable me to carry the belt so I can not less than say I’m the champ doing promos main as much as the struggle. I believe it will be fairly cool.”
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