"Not like the 17-year-old kid who's just running his mouth" - Aljamain Sterling puts down Raul Rosas Jr. to praise "legitimate, accomplished" Bo Nickal

Aljamain Sterling was bowled over by Bo Nickal's dominant first-round submission victory over Donovan Beard in Dana White's Contender Series. While praising Nickal, he also took a dig at DWCS alumni Raul Rosas Jr.

The Mexican bantamweight fighter is riding high on confidence after his decision victory on DWCS and has claimed that he wants to beat Jon Jones' record of being the youngest UFC champion:

"Nothing’s easy in this life, but I will become the youngest UFC champion, I don’t care what it takes. Nobody’s going to take this away from me. If I could fight a guy from the top 5 for my UFC debut, I would, but I’ve got to work my way up there and I will. I will be up there soon. I will become the youngest UFC champion when I’m 19, 20, 21. It doesn’t matter.”

Watch Raul Rosas Jr. at the post-fight media scrum below:

Current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently posted a video on his Instagram handle reacting to Bo Nickal's impressive performance in his second outing on DWCS. 'Funk Master' hailed Nickal as a legitimate contender and hit out at Rosas Jr. for "running his mouth":

"Bo Nickal man.. He [Dana White] should've signed him the first time. I'm telling you, this guy could go to the UFC tomorrow. Not like the 17-year-old kid who's just running his mouth. This kid is a legitimate, accomplished athlete. He could go in there an literally run through guys."

The former Dan Hodge Trophy winner was brought back to compete on the show by Dana White, who eventually awarded him a UFC contract thanks to his brilliant performance in the second outing.

Watch the video below:

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Aljamain Sterling offers his advice to Raul Rosas Jr.

After Raul Rosas Jr. earned a UFC contract from Dana White's Contender Series, he was also voted by MMA fans for his character to be featured in the UFC 4 video game.

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling decided to take to Twitter to offer some advice to the youngest fighter on the UFC roster. Sterling suggested that Rosas Jr. should take things slow and climb the bantamweight ladder one fight at a time:

"At that age, I’d be seeking advice and training from the guys at the top to excel my development. But I’m sure Rosa and his team are smart to have things prepared for him and his future."

Aljamain Sterling will square off against former two-time bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw in the co-main event of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.