Aljamain Sterling made it look easy as he cruised to victory at UFC Shanghai.
Brian Ortega stood in the way of the former bantamweight champion and his second win at 145lbs.
‘T-City’ was dominated in the fight, which all three judges scored 50-45 in favor of his opponent after 25 minutes.
The UFC Shanghai crowd booed during the uneventful affair, but Aljamain Sterling somewhat redeemed himself by trying to speak in Chinese during his post-fight interview.
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Aljamain Sterling vs. Brian Ortega result
Sterling looked slick on his feet during round one. The 135lb great scored an early knockdown as he wiped out his opponent with a low leg kick.
Both fighters fought like they were very conscious that they might need to go the 25-minute distance, but it was clear that ‘The Funk Master’ did enough to win the first frame.
The big flashpoint of round two came after Sterling landed a massive shot on Ortega’s eye.
Ortega stopped fighting and indicated to the referee that he had suffered an illegal eye poke.
Herb Dean insisted the punch was legal, and slow-motion replays backed up his call. Still, the veteran official bizarrely called a timeout, which allowed Ortega time to recover from a potentially fight-ending blow.
Sterling was really feeling himself in the third frame. The 36-year-old landed his jab at will, scored another low kick knockdown, and finished with a spinning elbow like the one Lerone Murphy KO’d Aaron Pico with at UFC 319 last weekend.
Round four saw the grappling specialists finally take their fight to the floor. Sterling used a body lock to bundle his opponent over, but nothing really happened once the UFC Shanghai co-headliner hit the canvas.
After losing every round, Ortega’s corner told him he needed a finish in the final frame. The two-time 145lb title challenger gave it a good go, but he ended the fight on his back, looking like he could get stopped by Sterling.
Brian Ortega’s weight issue
The UFC Shanghai co-main event was nearly called off due to a scary weight-cutting issue.
Sterling vs. Ortega was moved from featherweight to lightweight at the very last minute.
Both men made weight, but fans claimed Ortega ‘looked dead’ when he stepped on the scale.
Ortega thanked fans for their concern and support in a three-word social media statement.
“Love you guys,” he wrote on Instagram ahead of his first fight since being outpointed by Diego Lopes in September 2024.
Ortega’s lackluster display against Sterling is likely down to what happened 24 hours before their fight.