“If I had beaten…” Aljamain Sterling reveals Dana White’s promise before getting KO’d by Sean O’Malley

Former bantamweight champion discusses Dana White's assurance to challenge for the featherweight title.

“If I had beaten…” Aljamain Sterling reveals Dana White’s promise before getting KO’d by Sean O’Malley

Aljamain Sterling says Dana White promised him the Alexander Volkanovski fight if he had beaten Sean O'Malley (via Imago)

Aljamain Sterling received a proposition ahead of his ill-fated showdown with Sean O’Malley. The former bantamweight champ has divulged a pre-fight promise from Dana White himself. However, the promise that included a shot at Alexander Volkanovski‘s gold never materialized due to the knockout loss at UFC 292.

Aljamain Sterling recently took to his YouTube channel to talk about his experience in the bantamweight division. He said that UFC CEO Dana White vowed him a featherweight title shot against Alexander Volkanovski with a win over Sean O’Malley. However, he lost that fight and eventually went up to the featherweight division.

I asked Dana for the 145-pound shot at Volkanovski and he said if I had beaten O’Malley, he would have given me a shot to go up there…I think I still am skilled enough to compete with a guy like Volkanovski today...
Aljamain Sterling via YouTube
YouTube video

The new champion “Suga” derailed Sterling’s lofty ambitions last year. Even before UFC 292 or the fight buildup, Sterling talked about challenging Volk at 145 pounds. Sean O’Malley starched the former champ with a picture-perfect counterpunch at UFC 292. The opportunity to make history against Alexander Volkanovski vanished in an instant.

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Sterling’s last fight at 145 pounds was a UFC 300 against Calvin Kattar. He dominated the fight with his intense grappling and even powerbombed Kattar. Regardless, Sterling’s dream of the featherweight belt could still come to fruition. Putting together a winning streak in this new division could lead to a title shot sooner rather than later.

Aljamain Sterling reveals details of his extreme weight cut to get to bantamweight

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently opened up about his weight struggles. In a candid video, the ‘Funk Master’ revealed startling details about his brutal weight cuts. Sterling’s admissions provided a glimpse into fighters’ harsh behind-the-scenes realities.

Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling (Via UFC)

Sterling provided the viewers with numbers about his weight in a recent YouTube video. The ‘Funk Master’ cut around 36 pounds to make the bantamweight limit. Moreover, Sterling would gain almost 40 pounds once the fight is over. Cutting down that many pounds over a period of time is not healthy.

I stepped on the scale at UFC PI at 171 pounds. This in comparison to the weight class of 135 pounds was 26.7% over the weight class limit. My fat-free mass was 147.57 pounds. Can you guys comprehend the mental discipline that you have to have to get to 135 pounds?
Aljamain Sterling via YouTube

While extreme weight manipulation is commonplace in MMA, Sterling’s figures seemed excessive. It seemed like an extreme case scenario like Alex Pereira’s horrifying cut down to middleweight. Most fighters start around 20 lbs over and work down gradually. Sterling essentially had to do much more and decided to move up in weight.

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