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Aljamain Sterling is set to defend his UFC bantamweight title for the second time at UFC 280. Former UFC middleweight and current mixed martial arts analyst Chael Sonnen shared why he believes Sterling will defeat his opponent, T.J. Dillashaw.
Breaking down the upcoming bantamweight title fight on former double champ Henry Cejudo's YouTube channel, Sonnen stated:
"I think 'Aljo' has an advantage, with the layoff and the injury that T.J. is coming from, and then before that fight with Sandhagen, he had the full suspension. That was a couple of years. Time matters. He's [Dillashaw] 38 years old, he's not as young as some people think. Time matters. He [Dillashaw] would represent the oldest guy ever to return to win a championship... 'Aljo's going to beat him."
Due to suspension and injury troubles, Dillashaw has had just one fight in nearly four years. In that same time span, Sterling has fought five times, including two title fights, despite facing an injury of his own.
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw below:
Aljamain Sterling makes shocking revelation about his training camp
Aljamain Sterling recently admitted to drinking alcohol during his training camps. Speaking with Nik Hobbs of Sky Sports, 'Funk Master' stated:
"I do actually drink during training camp and people ask me 'When do you stop?' Even fighters, they ask me all the time, but I drink throughout the entire training camp. I don't get smashed, but I have one or two after a good hard day of sparring."
Sterling would add that he uses alcohol as a reward for a good training session, as it allows him to relax and sleep well.
While Sterling's admission ahead of his second title defense is certainly shocking, if this is a strategy he has employed previously then it has not hindered his performance. If Sterling loses his belt at UFC 280, however, it is likely that he will hear plenty about this strategy.
Watch Aljamain Sterling's comments on drinking during training camp below (starting at the 4:29 mark):
