UFC champion Aljamain Sterling reacts to passengers on flight suffering serious injuries following severe turbulence
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently reacted to a video showing the aftermath of severe turbulence onboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight. The incident left some people, including a flight attendant, with bloody injuries.
'Funk Master' put out a tweet expressing concern for the injured passengers, writing:
"I almost never take my seatbelt off anymore. I hope everyone heals up well"
🏾 twitter.com/balleralert/st…
I almost never take my seatbelt off anymore. I hope everyone heals up well 🙏🏾 twitter.com/balleralert/st…
Aljamain Sterling last fought T.J. Dillashaw in his second title defense at UFC 280, where he finished the injured former champion. Dillashaw dislocated his left shoulder during an exchange in the first round. Although his corner was able to pop his shoulder back in, his arm was practically disabled.
Sterling managed to outgrapple the one-handed Dillashaw, who couldn't defend himself intelligently. That led to a TKO stoppage due to strikes in the second round. The former champion later claimed to have dislocated his shoulder about 20 times during fight camp.
Following the loss, Dillashaw decided to hang up his gloves and was removed from the rankings following the announcement of his retirement.
Aljamain Sterling's bantamweight reign thus far
When Aljamain Sterling was crowned champion at UFC 259 after an illegal knee thrown by Petr Yan resulted in a disqualification, many saw it as an illegitimate crowning. Some, including Yan, also suggested that Sterling's reaction to the illegal strike was exaggerated.
'Funk Master' himself appeared to feel awkward about the win on the night of the fight.
However, the bantamweight champion eventually started posting pictures of the belt to his social media. He also defended the way he secured the title, noting that it was Yan whose wrongdoing caused the fight to end the way it did.
When 'Funk Master' met 'No Mercy' in a rematch at UFC 273, he had a close bout with the Russian fighter, but dominated the grappling exchanges. Aljamain Sterling retained the title with a split decision win over Yan, a result that changed the perception of many towards Sterling's reign.
He made it back-to-back defenses a few months back at UFC 280 with his win over Dillashaw.
The next logical fight for Aljamain Sterling initially appeared to be Sean O'Malley, who beat Petr Yan at UFC 280 to win the No.1 contender spot. However, O'Malley's dreams of fighting for UFC gold may be delayed by former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo.
There are rumors of Henry Cejudo making his comeback in 2023, with Sterling himself even claiming a showdown with 'Triple C' is likely for the first quarter of 2023.. However, no official word has been given by the UFC.