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Aljamain Sterling recently cast doubt on a potential March return against Henry Cejudo, citing a torn bicep. It looks like 'Funk Master' won't be returning to the octagon at UFC 285 as he has suggested an interim title fight at bantamweight.
A fan recently opined that fighters should come in at their 100% instead of fighting injured just to be able to boast about not pulling out. Sterling retweeted the fans comments, which read:
"Isn’t this exactly what interim belts are for? Just let the guy recover, I’m tired of paying to watch injured guys fight at 40% just to be able to say they didn’t pull out. It’s so stupid."
Aljamain Sterling also retweeted other comments, stating that he has earned the right to defend his belt in healthy condition.
Additionally, Sterling retweeted MMA Fighting's Damon Martin's comments that explained the UFC bantamweight champ's predicament. Martin wrote and Sterling reiterated:
"It's damned if you do, damned if you don't where Aljamain is concerned. If he fights and loses and then reveals the injury, everyone hates on him. If he takes time to recover from the injury but delays a fight, everyone hates on him."
Sterling was slated to defend his title against the returning Henry Cejudo in March. Sean O'Malley has called for a clash against 'Triple C' amidst reports of 'Funk Master's injury.
Aljamain Sterling discusses bicep injury
A title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo was being targeted for UFC 285 in March, with both parties confirming the matchup. However, a long delay in the announcement of the fight had fans and pundits worried.
Sterling recently revealed that he is dealing with a partially torn bicep, shutting down a potential March return. 'Funk Master' said on his YouTube channel:
"It’s whether or not I can compete with this torn bicep again... And I don’t take Henry Cejudo lightly... He’s smaller, so his conditioning is going to be much better, because he’s not going to be cutting as much weight as he’s been cutting. So I’m already compromised going in... Is it realistic for me to fight in March? I don’t really think it is."
Watch Aljamain Sterling's YouTube video below:
The UFC bantamweight champion, in a subsequent tweet, claimed that injuries seemed to have become the new normal for him with age.
