"Debate, dispute, agree to disagree" - Aljamain Sterling reacts to Charlie Kirk's shooting with heartfelt note 

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently expressed his condolences upon hearing the news of Charlie Kirk's passing away as the result of a shooting incident.

Kirk was shot in the neck while interacting with students at the Sorensen Center courtyard on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday. The Turning Point USA co-founder was quickly taken to a local hospital. However, the conservative activist did not survive and Donald Trump shared the tragic news of his demise on X.

Kirk's death sparked reactions from many, including Sterling, who was saddened by the unfortunate incident. He took to X and chastised people who take the route of violence:

''RIP to Charlie Kirk. Just because you don’t agree with someone’s opinions, doesn’t mean you just start killing people. Debate, dispute, agree to disagree. You gotta be a dark human being to want to kill ppl over different likes, preferences, opinions. Thats what makes us special. We are all different but one people.''

Aljamain Sterling

@funkmasterMMA

RIP to Charlie Kirk. Just because you don’t agree with someone’s opinions, doesn’t mean you just start killing people. Debate, dispute, agree to disagree. You gotta be a dark human being to want to kill ppl over different likes, preferences, opinions. Thats what makes us special.

As for the MMA scene, Sterling (25-5) got back in the win column after displaying a dominant performance against Brian Ortega at UFC Shanghai last month, prevailing via unanimous decision. The two were initially set to fight in a featherweight bout. However, their matchup was changed to a 153-pound catchweight contest after the former 145-pound title challenger missed weight by eight pounds.

Sterling is currently recovering from an injury sustained at the end of the third round as a result of a spinning elbow strike against Ortega.

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Aljamain Sterling slams veteran UFC referee

During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier this month, Aljamain Sterling voiced his displeasure with referee Herb Dean's behavior in the co-main event of UFC Shanghai, which saw Sterling defeat Brian Ortega:

''When I talk about someone coming in the backroom and giving the fighters rule meeting and having almost like the most dismissive attitude, and just not wanting to even be there to do the meeting, that's a red flag. And I think that just kind of signals, maybe you're not having as much fun doing this as you used to. Maybe with the popularity, you feel like you're too big for the sport, to always want to get so involved in a fight. I've never seen someone get hurt and Herb yells at them to engage in a fight when he's right there, seeing that the person just got hurt.'' [23:45 of the interview]