“I’m gambling my quality of life to make the fans happy,” Aljamain Sterling claims he did the right thing by pulling out from UFC 267


“I’m gambling my quality of life to make the fans happy,” Aljamain Sterling claims he did the right thing by pulling out from UFC 267

Aljamain Sterling

Ever since the UFC’s bantamweight title changed hands at UFC 259, the newly crowned champion Aljamain Sterling is under a lot of scrutinies. He won the title after Yan landed an illegal knee and lost the fight via DQ.

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People have been calling out Sterling ever since and he was supposed to face Petr Yan at UFC 267, but he had to pull out from the fight due to lingering neck issues. Now Sterling has talked about this decision for the first time.

Talking to Helen Yee and The Schmo, he said, I know it sucks, it’s a big fight, they want to get the division moving, it’s a hot division. All these things I’m thinking about and they’re like, ‘Why would you do that?’ I was, like, ‘I think I’m just gonna go in there and I’m just gonna wing it. I think I know what he can do. I think I just gotta be smart and I think if I could catch him with one of those flying knees again, I think this time I can end the fight.’”

He added, “That’s honestly what I said to my roommates, and they’re like, ‘Dude, that’s crazy. Why would you ever put yourself in that position?’ I’m like, ‘I almost feel like I have no choice.’”

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“I know I’m doing the wrong thing,” Aljamain Sterling believes he was risking his life by ignoring his injuries

Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling
Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling

Sterling wasn’t feeling too good while preparing for this fight, he was getting battered in the training sessions, and his friends claimed he was making a big mistake by taking on this fight.

He said, “I felt like I’m gambling my quality of life all in one fight to try to make the fans happy when I know I’m doing the wrong thing. It was a really complex and difficult situation, but all in all, I made the right decision for the longevity of my health. I wasn’t fun to be around. Ray was like, ‘Dude, I haven’t seen you smile in God knows how long.’ I’m not happy. Getting my ass kicked in training.”

Also read – “Petr Yan was beating my as*that’s a fact,” Aljamain Sterling shares his thoughts on Petr Yan fight, predicts the result of Yan vs Sandhagen at UFC 267