Watch: Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling reacts to Rob Font's UFC Vegas 27 win over Cody Garbrandt
Aljamain Sterling shared his reaction within moments of Rob Font's victory against Cody Garbrandt at the UFC Vegas 27 headliner. In a video shared by The Schmo in the immediate aftermath of the fight, the UFC bantamweight champion weighed in on the main event that saw former champion Cody Garbrandt being dominated by number three-ranked Rob Font for the larger part of five rounds.
Aljamain Sterling also complimented Rob Font's jab, which mostly controlled the dance and led to a unanimous decision in favor of Font with scorecards reading 48-47, 50-45, and 50-45. Lauding the bantamweight division, Aljamain Sterling said:
"You know, that was a crazy a** fight man. This shows you how great the bantamweight division is. A former champion like that being taken out by a guy like Rob Font who looked very technical, very on-point tonight. Cody (Garbrandt) had his moments but it was Rob Font's night. The jab, it took care of everything."
Cody Garbrandt came off a highlight-reel knockout win over Raphael Assuncao in his last outing, which also snapped a three-fight losing streak. The former bantamweight champion has now gone 1-4 in his last five UFC outings.
Rob Font, meanwhile, is currently riding a four-fight win streak that includes victories over Sergio Pettis, Ricky Simon, Marlon Moraes, and now Garbrandt. After a striking masterclass at UFC Vegas 27, Font has firmly established himself as a contender for the bantamweight title and might be considered a potential opponent for Aljamain Sterling.
When Aljamain Sterling was crowned UFC bantamweight champion
'Funkmaster' Aljamain Sterling made a bid for the UFC bantamweight title against Petr Yan in the co-main event at UFC 259. Petr Yan was dominant from the onset, exerting constant pressure on Sterling with strikes and takedown attempts.
Although many had expected Aljamain Sterling to pose a threat in the grappling department, Yan seemed to be faring better on the ground as well.
The finish came in the fourth round as Petr Yan landed an illegal knee to the head of Aljamain Sterling even as he was winning on two of the scorecards. Although referee Mark Smith warned Yan that his opponent was down, the Russian knocked Aljamain Sterling to the mat with a brutal knee.
As cageside officials deemed Sterling unfit to continue, the match was called to a stop at 04:29 in round 4. In a surprising turn of events, Aljamain Sterling became the first UFC fighter to win a championship via disqualification.