WATCH: Aljamain Sterling out-grapples UFC light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill ahead of UFC 300

Aljamain Sterling grapples with Jamahal Hill ahead of move to the featherweight division.

WATCH: Aljamain Sterling out-grapples UFC light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill ahead of UFC 300

Aljamain Sterling trains with Jamahal Hill ahead of UFC 300 bout with Calvin Kattar (Via Imago/X)

Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is making his featherweight debut next month. He will face the credited Calvin Kattar in a three-round battle. The fight goes down in the historical UFC 300 fight card as a prelim bout. Ahead of the fight, Sterling released some training footage in which he was seen grappling with Light Heavyweight Jamahal Hill.

In the video, Aljamain Sterling grappled with the much heavier Jamahal Hill and comfortably dominated him. ‘The Funkmaster’ is one of the best grapplers in the UFC with a high degree black belt in BJJ. As such, weight discrepancies didn’t challenge ‘The Funkmaster.’ Further, he detailed his advantages in such cases. Here is what he said:

I don’t need to be 260(lbs) to dominate somebody. I know that I can do a lot better than people may want to admit because they can’t wrap their head around someone that much smaller than them actually being able to control them, pin them down and submit them. But, this is the reality.
Aljamain Sterling via YT-FunkMasterMMA
YouTube video

Moving up in weight class, Aljamain Sterling acknowledged the risks. However, the former champion believed in his ground game to seal the deal against Calvin Kattar. As such, training with Jamahal Hill certainly helped the former champion in grappling heavier guys. Sterling stated even if his opponent muscled through bottom positions to escape and keep the game standing, he would get them once they were exhausted enough to a point where they couldn’t explode.

While Aljamain Sterling fights at the UFC 300 prelims, Jamahal Hill headlines the monumental card against Alex Pereira. As such, both the fighters prepared for their bouts with utmost focus. Sterling, in his previous bout, lost his 135lbs title to Sean O’Malley. As such, he would look to return to the winning side. Further, ‘The Funkmaster’ had his eyes set on the featherweight gold, and everything starts at UFC 300.

Aljamain speaks about his move up to featherweight

Moving on from the bantamweight division, Aljamain Sterling makes his featherweight debut at UFC 300. While many fighters bulk up while moving up in weight classes, Aljamain Sterling claimed he hasn’t. The former champion believed he was already heavier for the 145lbs division.

Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling (Via UFC)

In his latest YouTube video, Aljamain Sterling released some training footage and spoke about his move up in weight class. ‘The Funkmaster’ revealed he didn’t focus on gaining extra weight for his featherweight debut. Here is what he said:

I didn’t realize I was relatively the same size as all these other (featherweights). I stepped on the scale at 171-172 (lbs). My lowest fat-free mass was 147.5 lbs. Imagine me making 135 so many times, I always knew I was getting tired for a reason. My body’s just not meant to be at 135 pounds.
Aljamain Sterling (Via YT-FunkMasterMMA)

The thought process remained true when analyzing Aljamain Sterling’s physique and his previous statements of having a harsh cut to the bantamweight limit. Hence, Sterling felt no disadvantage in terms of the sizes of featherweight fighters.. As such, he looked forward to facing Calvin Kattar for his featherweight debut.

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