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Based on his post-UFC 292 interviews, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling appeared to have handled his loss well. “Funkmaster” suffered a second-round knockout loss to Sean O’Malley, ending his brief title reign.
But in this recent YouTube video he uploaded, Sterling seemed to have struggled much more than he let on.
Aljamain Sterling details downward spiral after UFC 292 title loss
The 34-year-old Sterling is currently preparing for his featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. And as he admitted, training has been difficult because of some of his lifestyle choices due to his title loss.
“Right now I’m just tired. I do one to two rounds of striking, and I’m exhausted,” he shared (quotes by MMA Junkie).
“Also (I’m) moving around and trying to do what I do when I’m lighter. Those eight to nine weeks of drinking every single day and hookah non-stop, staying up late at night, it definitely took a toll on my lungs, so I still feel like I’m battling back from and trying to gain all that.”
Bulking would be part of Sterling’s regimen in his journey towards a heavier weight class. But according to the UFC veteran, some of his dietary choices could also pose a challenge.
“Whenever I make 135, I’m almost – just about the last five years, I’ve pretty much always hit 180. Like your body is holding on to everything, blowing back up, so I do wonder if I’m going to do the same thing,” he explained.
“I got a sweet tooth, and even though I’m not only eating candies and chocolates, it almost feels like a bottomless pit.
“Like you can’t help yourself. You’re telling yourself to stop eating, but somehow your hands are still moving towards the fridge, your legs are still walking towards the fridge, your fingers are dialing DoorDash and Uber Eats.
“Somehow you’re still ordering food when you know you don’t want anything. It’s like a sickness.”
Aljamain Sterling’s training hurdles for UFC 300
As a featherweight, Sterling will face bigger, taller opponents. Preparing for the 5-foot-11 Kattar, he enlisted the help of slightly taller training partners like Julian Erosa and Sean Woodson.
The 5-foot-7 Sterling says he’s already facing challenges from those small yet significant height differences.
“I did some good stuff, but there’s still some things I’m having trouble with because of the height difference. There’s going to be some things I need to figure out where I was closer to being the tallest guy at bantamweight.
“Now you got Sean Woodson, you got Julian Erosa, you got some of these guys who are just like trees, so I’ve got to figure out the game with that.
“Taking them down, being able to maintain control for longer periods of time, working the threshold and understanding all of that.”
How Sterling thinks he would fare in the featherweight division
When talks about a featherweight move began, Max Holloway’s name became a potential opponent for Sterling.
While former UFC double-champ Daniel Cormier isn’t a fan of the matchup because of Holloway’s size advantage, Sterling disagrees.
“To say I would struggle, that kinda gets me going. That kinda gets me wanting to be like, ‘Okay, I’ll show you guys what’s up,’” he said in response to Cormier.
“I don’t think people really understand big-body Aljo, what he can do compared to scrawny but shredded Aljo.
“Max is the man, bro. Max is the f–ng man. I go out and I beat the man, bro, come on.”
How does the UFC 300 fight card look so far?
The organization’s milestone event will take place on April 13th in Las Vegas. Apart from Sterling vs. Kattar, the UFC announced two other fights: Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic and Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage.