"I thought they were really good" - UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling details his experience at UFC 264
Aljamain Sterling has detailed his experience at the recently concluded UFC 264 pay-per-view. The UFC bantamweight champion claimed this was the first time he had been at a UFC event since Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero headlined UFC 248.
During his interview on the 'Real Quick with Mike Swick' podcast, Aljamain Sterling spoke about the fights that caught his attention at the T-Mobile Arena this past weekend.
"Well they actually gave us tickets to go, so we went. So we got to watch live and that was my first time being back at a live event for a UFC event with the fans since Adesanya vs. Romero. So it was nice, refreshing to get back to normal." Sterling said.
'The Funkmaster' added that the fights were really good, and a couple of standout bouts for him was the first fight of the night between Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Jerome Rivera. Sterling also praised Zhumagulov for his nasty submission victory.
The UFC bantamweight champion's attention was also caught by Tai Tuivasa, who had a nasty knockout victory over Greg Hardy. Aljamain Sterling got a closer look at Sean O'Malley, who is an upcoming sensation in the bantamweight division and looked dominant in his victory over debutant Kris Moutinho.
"I thought they were really good. I mean, a couple of standouts like the very first fight of the night, that kid Zhumagulov, with the early guillotine choke, a little ninja choke. You had Tuivasa, nasty knockout, and obviously the crazy performance of Sean O'Malley. Even though it was a guy on debut, he looked great and I don't think there's much more you can ask out of a guy like that. To do what he did and look good while doing it, you know. So, some really good fights."
Watch the full interview below:
Aljamain Sterling will face Petr Yan in a rematch this year
Aljamain Sterling captured the UFC bantamweight championship from Petr Yan in a fight that ended in a very controversial manner at UFC 259. An illegal knee from Yan saw Sterling win the title. However, a rematch is already in the works between the two.
As things stand, an official date is yet to be announced by the UFC regarding Sterling vs. Yan II. The fight will surely have a lot at stake, considering the history between the two men.