Aljamain Sterling reacts after a grounded Alex Caceres eats brutal knee to the head at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori
Aljamain Sterling has given his take on the brutal illegal knee Alex Caceres ate to the head at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori on Saturday.
Sterling won the UFC bantamweight title via disqualification at UFC 259, courtesy of his opponent Petr Yan hitting him with an illegal knee to the head. After a similar incident last night, 'Funk Master' praised Caceres and asserted that ‘Bruce Leeroy’ is “still game for greatness.”
Caceres faced rising star Seungwoo Choi in a featherweight bout at UFC Vegas 41. Caceres was knocked down in round one and almost finished. However, during the fast-paced exchange, Choi landed an illegal knee on Caceres while he was grounded.
The referee paused the action and deducted a point from Choi for the illegal strike. He also gave Caceres time to recover. Subsequently, Caceres, who was badly dazed by the blow, survived until the end of the first round.
Caceres then managed to stage an incredible comeback, trapping Seungwoo Choi in a rear-naked choke submission and securing the tap in round two.
Aljamain Sterling posted the following tweet regarding the illegal knee, as well as Caceres’ thrilling win:
“fight fans from the couch always know better. I’m glad Caceres wasn’t severely compromised after that illegal knee. 5 in a row! Putting the division on notice that he’s still game for greatness! #UFCVegas41”
😂 fight fans from the couch always know better. I’m glad Caceres wasn’t severely compromised after that illegal knee. 5 in a row! Putting the division on notice that he’s still game for greatness! #UFCVegas41
You can watch the finishing sequence in the Alex Caceres vs. Seungwoo Choi fight below:
BRUCE LEEROY with a vintage performance 🙌
@BruceLeeroyGlow sinks in the choke! #UFCVegas41 https://t.co/IxBX2RwtCW
Aljamain Sterling has vowed to return stronger than ever
Aljamain Sterling was scheduled to defend his title in a rematch against Petr Yan at UFC 267 this month. However, ‘Funk Master’ has been dealing with serious neck injury issues as of late, due to which he had to withdraw from the fight.
Sterling recently addressed this and reassured his fans that he’ll come back stronger than ever. The bantamweight kingpin has suggested that he’s aiming to return to the octagon in January or February 2022.
Early 2022. Jan or Feb. really not trying to wait another year. I did that for my wrist surgery. Im not getting any younger. I need to add more W’s to my bantamweight win resume. I have 11 (12 UFC wins. Barao fight was at 140). Im tied for 2nd in UFC history behind Dillashaw twitter.com/SteamCleanMMA/…
Meanwhile, Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen are set to clash for the interim UFC bantamweight title at UFC 267 on October 30. The winner will face Aljamain Sterling in a title unification matchup next year.