Ali Abdelaziz lauds Aljamain Sterling for admitting Zabit Magomedsharipov "rag dolled" him in training
Ali Abdelaziz recently praised Aljamain Sterling for accepting that Zabit Magomedsharipov dominated him in training.
'Funk Master' told Joe Rogan that Ray Longo asked him to train with Magomedsharipov. The Russian started throwing a variety of slick moves during the session, which caught the current bantamweight champion off guard to the extent where he felt being set up by his coach.
Here's what Sterling said during an episode of JRE:
"He threw a 360 spinning ninja kick and wrapped the leg around my neck, I close my eyes. I’d never seen a ninja jump at me like that in a room ever. Like, I’m not in shape, Ray asked me to jump in there with this guy, I didn’t know who the hell he was, but I felt like I was set up for failure... He’s throwing sidekicks, he’s doing 360 ninja kicks. So I’m like, 'Yo, what in the f*ck is going on?'” (h/t BJPENN.com)
Watch Aljamain Sterling talk to Joe Rogan about Zabit Magomedsharipov below:
'Funk Master' noted that Magomedsharipov used to compete in the featherweight division of the UFC and is naturally a lot bigger than him. However, he didn't realize the size difference until he saw the Russian fighter without his shirt.
On Twitter, Abdelaziz acknowledged that Sterling stayed "real" to admit he was outclassed by someone in training:
"@funkmasterMMA Is the real one takes so much confidence to talk like that Respect [to] you"
🏿🤲🏾 twitter.com/bjpenndotcom/s…
@funkmasterMMA Is the real one takes so much confidence to talk like that Respect do you✊🏿🤲🏾 twitter.com/bjpenndotcom/s…
Their careers inside the octagon have progressed differently in recent times. Sterling made the first successful defense of his title at UFC 273 after winning it from Petr Yan at UFC 259 a year prior.
Meanwhile, Magomedsharipov has not been in action since his 2019 win against Calvin Kattar. Once considered a future champion, he is unsure of continuing his MMA career and is seemingly looking to become a doctor.
Who is next for Aljamain Sterling in the UFC?
Aljamain Sterling defeated Petr Yan via split decision in his last fight at UFC 273. He is expected to take on T.J. Dillashaw in his next defense. Dillashaw, a former champion of the division, made a triumphant return to the octagon from suspension against Cory Sandhagen last summer.
Dillashaw is eager to get a shot at the belt that he never lost and might get that next. Stylistically, a fight between Sterling and Dillashaw should be a barn-burner.
Steling has also been going back-and-forth with Henry Cejudo for a while, especially since the former two-division champion stepped up his plans to return to the UFC.