“I made a total of $500,” Aljamain Sterling reveals pro debut pay while responding to Sean Strickland’s rant on fighter pay

Aljamain Sterling reveals his professional debut earnings in a response video to Sean Strickland's recent rant about MMA as a career.

“I made a total of $500,” Aljamain Sterling reveals pro debut pay while responding to Sean Strickland’s rant on fighter pay

Aljamain Sterling and Sean Strickland (Image via IMAGO)

Sean Strickland recently went viral on the internet, where one of his videos about the MMA profession caught the attention of fight fans. In the video, Strickland talked about the struggles and chances of young athletes to make it big in the world of MMA. The middleweight champion mentioned that for an average fighter, it’s very hard to make money in this industry. 

Sterling recently took to his YouTube channel to share an insightful video, delving into the same topic Sean Strickland talked about. In this video, he recounted the thrilling story of his debut fight, painting a vivid picture of the exhilarating moments he experienced in the octagon. Sterling didn’t stop there; he also shared intriguing details of how much he managed to earn from that fight, giving viewers a real glimpse into the financial side of his journey. He said, 

"It was just a crazy debut. I'm doing flying knees, jumping switch kicks...I'm a young invincible human being. I'm just doing stuff and it sticks.That fight I made 250 to show and  250 to win. So I made a total of $500 dollars for my pro debut." 
YouTube video

Sterling mentioned that he was extremely confident in his debut fight and did everything he saw on television and it worked. In the end, he revealed that in that fight, he made a total of $500. 

FS Video

Currently, Sterling is one of the most popular UFC fighters on the current roster. The New York native is a former UFC bantamweight champion, has three title defenses under his name, and has been part of some incredible PPV events. 

Related: “Max is the f*cking man,” Fuelled by DC’s critique Aljamain Sterling seeks beating Max Holloway to erase Sean O’Malley loss

Aljamain Sterling’s journey from rags to riches

Aljamain Sterling made his professional debut in 2011 and before getting his UFC ticket, he fought in various local MMA promotions. His UFC break took place in 2014 against Cody Gibson and he managed to get a four-fight win streak before his first loss. 

Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling (Image via IMAGO)

As the fighter grew and rose above the bantamweight rankings, he was able to be part of the PPV fight cards. At UFC 259, Sterling finally got his bantamweight championship belt and then went on to defend it three times in a row. In his last fight against Sean O’Malley, Sterling lost his belt but things have changed a lot now. 

YouTube video

From making $500 in his first bout, The ‘Funkmaster’  is now making millions of dollars through fight purses and other business ventures such as promotions. According to reports, in his last two fights, Sterling made close to $900K. On top of that, the fighter has a variety of brand endorsements, such as Boost Mobile and Nerd Focus energy drinks, and also has his own rum brand named Funk Harbour making his journey certainly inspiring.

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