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Aljamain Sterling is seemingly exploring his options after defeating Petr Yan in their much-anticipated rematch at UFC 273 a few weeks ago.
The UFC bantamweight champion has called out several former champions in the wake of his first title defense. It began with T.J. Dillashaw, whom he took aim at during his post-fight speech. For a short time, it looked like that was what would be next, with even boss Dana White confirming it in the UFC 273 post-fight press conference.
Now it seems Aljamain Sterling has set his sights on former two-division champion Henry Cejuo. He responded to a call out by 'Triple C' by saying:
"If he wants to lose one of those C's, I'll gladly demote him. Let me know when you're serious, Champ."
This isn't the first time Cejudo has hinted at a return; he has been angling for a fight against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski for a long time now. He also offered to step in on short notice vs. Alexander Volkanovski when Max Holloway was forced to pull out due to an undisclosed injury.
However, it's unlikely that either of these fights will take place anytime soon. Cejudo just re-entered the USADA testing pool, and it will take a minimum of six months before he is eligible to fight inside the cage.
That said, UFC president Dana White has so far seemed fairly dismissive of Cejudo's demand for a return fight. It remains to be seen if these callouts by the former Olympian will materialize into a fight.
Aljamain Sterling reacts to 11-year anniversary of MMA debut
'Funkmaster' seems to have always enjoyed professional success during the month of April. His victory over Petr Yan is another addition to his flawless April record.
It was recently brought to his attention that he completed his 11th anniversary in professional MMA with a win over Sergio da Silva on April 22, 2011. Aljamain Sterling is 6-0 when competing in April, with four of those wins coming in the UFC over Takeya Mizugaki, Augusto Mendes, Brett Johns, and now Yan.
Sterling reacted to the post reminding him of his 11th anniversary by saying:
"I didn't even realize this! April's always been good to me! (Don't jinx it! Don't jinx it! Lol)"
After 11 years in the game and just 32 years old, Aljamain Sterling seems to be entering his prime, judging by his performance against Petr Yan at UFC 273. The champion has no intention of letting go of the 135lb belt anytime soon.
