Aljamain Sterling shares five-word reaction while reflecting on brutal weight cuts for UFC bantamweight division
A fan on X/Twitter recently shared a clip of Aljamain Sterling during a weight cut to bantamweight. While he described Sterling's bantamweight physique as the best in the UFC, 'Funk Master' wasted no time in replying to the tweet with his thoughts on the matter.
While he said nothing about the aesthetics of his old bantamweight physique, he made it a point to highlight how unhealthy it was for him to be at that weight. In fact, the increasing difficulty Sterling faced with his bantamweight weight cuts eventually convinced him to leave the division.
"That sh*t was not healthy"
He has since made a permanent move to featherweight, with his previous outing in the division being in 2011, early on in his MMA career. He made his return to 145 pounds years later at UFC 300, where he took on the dangerous Calvin Kattar, beating him via unanimous decision.
It was a performance that drew partial praise from UFC CEO Dana White, as 'Funk Master' showcased both his speed and wrestling ability. He followed that up with a grappling-heavy matchup against the unbeaten Movsar Evloev at UFC 310. The pair had been feuding on social media for months prior to their fight.
Sterling had even accused the Russian phenom of using performance-enhancing drugs, though he offered no concrete evidence. Come fight night, both men were forced to dig deep into their bag of grappling tricks, engaging in various scrambles in a highly competitive affair.
However, in the end, Evloev was declared the winner via unanimous decision, temporarily dashing Sterling's hopes of fighting for the UFC featherweight title.
Aljamain Sterling was previously the UFC bantamweight champion
Despite how difficult he found the weight cut to 135 pounds, Aljamain Sterling still managed to achieve greatness in the division. In fact, he became the most successful UFC bantamweight champion in history. He first captured the belt under unfortunate circumstances at UFC 259.
His opponent, Petr Yan, who was the then-champion, landed an illegal knee to the head when Sterling was a grounded opponent, leading to a disqualification. This won Sterling the title, who then defended it against Yan in a rematch before defending it against T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo at UFC 280 and UFC 288.
Eventually, though, he lost the title to Sean O'Malley, who TKO'd him at UFC 292 in round two.