All-Time Bantamweight: Aljo's Legacy

Born and raised in Uniondale, New York, Aljamain Sterling was a two-time Division III All-American wrestler at SUNY Cortland, where he earned a B.A. in Physical Education. He stumbled into MMA after watching Jon Jones — then a training partner — on The Ultimate Fighter, and asked Jones for a chance to train.

He made his pro debut in 2011, worked as a shoe salesman at Saks Fifth Avenue and cut hair in college to make ends meet. He also studied accounting before switching paths entirely. Every dollar earned outside the gym was reinvested in becoming the fighter he believed he could be.

Sterling's breakthrough arrived at UFC 259 in March 2021, when Petr Yan landed an illegal knee that handed him the bantamweight belt via disqualification. The manner of the win brought criticism — and Sterling answered it emphatically. He defeated Yan in the rematch, stopped TJ Dillashaw, and outpointed Henry Cejudo.

At the conclusion of that run he held the most consecutive bantamweight title defenses in UFC history. Three straight. None by accident.

After losing the title to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 in August 2023, Sterling navigated a publicized rough patch before moving up to featherweight in 2024. He defeated Calvin Kattar at UFC 300, posted a UFC Fight Night main event win over Youssef Zalal in April 2026, and is now calling for Alexander Volkanovski.

The pitch is a 'legends vs. legends' narrative — and Sterling has earned the right to make it.

Sterling is a wrestler's wrestler who uses his two-time All-American base to dictate position and grind opponents into bad spots. His submission game spans rear-naked chokes, arm triangles, guillotines, and a modified kneebar — all organized under what he calls 'Funk-Jitsu,' the grappling system built under Matt Serra.

His standup has improved steadily under Ray Longo, making him one of the division's most complete fighters.

Sterling co-wrote music with his brother and released rap tracks under the 'Funkmaster' brand. He is an avid content creator on YouTube, running candid vlogs of training camp and post-fight recovery. The barber, the shoe salesman, the accounting student — each chapter informs the competitor he became.