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#4. Aljamain Sterling gave Petr Yan his toughest test inside the octagon
The fact that Aljamain Sterling won the UFC bantamweight title via disqualification seems to grate on some UFC fans. Some have been particularly disrespectful and continue to label him a paper champion.
However, while it’s perhaps fair to claim that Sterling was losing his fight with former champion Petr Yan prior to ‘No Mercy’ landing the illegal blow, it’s not like the fight was a whitewash. In fact, ‘Funk Master’ was probably giving Yan the toughest test he’d ever faced in the octagon, which is hugely impressive and warrants plenty of respect in its own right.
Before his clash with Sterling, Yan was unbeaten in the UFC with a record of 7-0. Despite facing high-level opponents like Jimmie Rivera, Urijah Faber and John Dodson, nobody had really pushed him to his limits. Even the legendary Jose Aldo took a serious beating when he came up against ‘No Mercy’ at UFC 251 last July.
Aljamain Sterling, on the other hand, was able to land a series of kicks and body shots from range that kept Yan guessing. He took the second and arguably the first round in their clash.
Were the two bantamweights to rematch inside the octagon, based on what we saw in the first fight there’d be every chance that Sterling could win cleanly. Given Yan’s prior dominance, the fact that ‘Funk Master’ was able to hang with him should mean he deserves plenty of respect in his own right.
#3. Aljamain Sterling has never backed down from a challenge in the UFC
Somehow, the fact that Aljamain Sterling was forced out of UFC 267 with a neck injury has given cynical UFC fans enough fuel to label the bantamweight champion a ducker who is attempting to run from his challengers.
Even top contender T.J. Dillashaw appears to believe something similar, suggesting that Sterling might retire without defending his title. He said the 32-year-old's withdrawal from UFC 267 was simply a way for him to hold onto the belt for longer.
However, to say such claims are ridiculous would be an understatement. Since arriving in the UFC in 2014, it’s probably fair to say that Aljamain Sterling has never backed down from a challenge.
On two occasions, ‘Funk Master’ accepted fights with late-notice opponents when his original foe was forced out at the last minute. Also, at UFC 214, he agreed to fight Renan Barao at a catchweight of 140 pounds when the former UFC bantamweight champion was unable to make the 135-pound limit.
More to the point, Sterling’s record is filled with fights against tricky opponents such as Pedro Munhoz, Cody Stamann and Jimmie Rivera. They're the kind of foes that many fighters would avoid due to their high skill and low name value.
Essentially, Aljamain Sterling is the kind of fighter who should be respected for facing all comers, instead of receiving disrespect for withdrawing from one fight due to a serious injury.
