From controversial wins to dominant displays, Aljamain Sterling has become one of the UFC’s most underappreciated champions… but the American can cement his legacy with a win at UFC 292

This Saturday night Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley will face each other in a bout for the UFC bantamweight title.

Sterling is the longtime champion and will put his UFC gold on the line when he takes on the popular O’Malley at UFC 292.

Despite his unparalleled success since 2018, the last time he lost a fight, Sterling has been overlooked by a number of UFC fans, pundits and fighters.

It ties in with the way Sterling was constantly overlooked and underappreciated throughout his fighting career.

And so Mail Sport takes a look at why the American has been so underrated throughout his impressive career.

The 34-year-old takes on ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley in a title fight at UFC 292

Sterling starts

To understand the reasons why Sterling got involved in mixed martial arts in the first place, we need to look back at his upbringing in Uniondale, New York.

Sterling grew up with seven full siblings and 12 half siblings — many of his brothers, according to ESPNare heavily involved in gang lifestyles.

In an effort to avoid those same problems, Sterling took up other interests and hobbies, such as basketball.

But at only 5 feet 7 inches tall, that dream was crushed pretty early on and he decided to turn his attention to wrestling instead.

As claimed by the aforementioned outlet, Sterling had a ‘strong but small frame (which) made for a good wrestler’ and his passion for the sport kept him in school.

But, as many know, Sterling’s abilities are not just limited to the wrestling mat and he also possesses some impressive hitting abilities. And there’s a surprising person to thank for that.

While still in college, Sterling was invited by current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones to participate in an MMA sparring session.

While his time in that gym would be short-lived, Sterling’s journey in MMA was just beginning.

Photographed in 2021, Sterling began his career in wrestling before transitioning to MMA

Climb the bantam weight ladder

After a successful stint in the Cage Fury Fighting Championships, Sterling signed with the UFC in 2014 – where he enjoyed a four-fight win streak to begin his run.

It’s the kind of run that could lead to calls for UFC title shots, but all of that fell apart when he suffered back-to-back split decision defeats.

Bryan Caraway and Raphael Assunção proved to be worthy opponents for the New York native and their victories over him threatened to derail any UFC title.

But after building another four-fight win streak, Sterling quickly became another leading contender in the bantamweight division, cementing that claim on June 6, 2020.

In a highly anticipated bout at UFC 250, Sterling took on compatriot Cory Sandhagen in a bantamweight title eliminator.

Sandhagen was and still is a highly regarded bantamweight star, but was made to look like an amateur when he took on Sterling, who won in under a minute and a half.

It was a sparkling performance from the ‘Funk Master’ and helped propel him to the top of the bantamweight rankings and lined him up with his first UFC title.

Sterling delivered dominant performances during the early stages of his UFC career

Yan controversies

If Sterling was to get his hands on the UFC bantamweight title, he would have to do what no UFC star had done before and defeat Petr Yan.

In the seven fights leading up to his fight with Sterling, Yan was undefeated. His dominance, skills and expertise were all made evident with his dismantling of veteran star Jose Aldo.

Facing Yan was a daunting proposition for any bantamweight star, but no one could have prepared for the events that would eventually unfold.

During their fight at UFC 259 in March 2021, Sterling was defeated. It is undeniable. He would lose if the fight went to the judges’ scorecard.

However, late in the fourth round, Yan threw away any potential chance to retain his title after throwing an illegal knee while Sterling was on the ground.

The fight was quickly ended by the referee and Sterling was crowned the new UFC Bantamweight Champion – in the most controversial way possible.

Sterling controversially won the bantamweight title after Petr Yan landed a knee on him while being knocked down – in violation of UFC rules

It was a cruel – but ultimately fair – way for Yan to lose his belt, but everyone was aware that if Sterling really became the bantamweight king, he would have to defend the title against Yan.

And 399 days after their first meeting, that’s exactly what happened.

While many expected Yan to dish out a beating similar to their first fight, it was instead Sterling who dismantled his counterpart with ease.

From smooth attacks to ground dominance, Sterling was much better than Yan and deserved to retain his title.

But fans didn’t forget the controversial way he first claimed it and have done little to make him forget either.

The Disasters of Dillashaw

Sterling has become one of the UFC’s most recognized figures since his title challenge

After back-to-back wins over highly rated Yan, Sterling was right back in the octagon.

In October 2021, the New York native booked a title fight with UFC veteran TJ Dillashaw – who had just finished a two-year suspension for doping.

Dillashaw marked his comeback fight with a win over Cory Sandhagen before earning a title shot with Sterling at UFC 280.

However, it was a night for former fan favorite Dillashaw, who suffered a ruthless TKO defeat in the second round of the bout.

The controversy with this fight comes over how Sterling got rid of his counterpart – given the obvious injury Dillashaw suffered.

The bantamweight star dislocated his shoulder during the fight and struggled to move his left arm at all in the moments before being defeated.

Sterling paid no attention to the difficulties Dillashaw was experiencing and instead picked up the pace and delivered some huge shots to end the fight.

Sterling continued his victories over Yan by dismantling UFC veteran TJ Dillashaw

Cheered at Cejudo

And that brings us to time. Almost.

After defeating an injured Dillashaw, Sterling got into a war of words with former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo.

Cejudo was the long-time champion, prior to Sterling’s success, but relinquished the title in May 2020 after announcing his retirement from the sport.

However, after Sterling’s impressive run in the division, Cejudo quickly came back from retirement and challenged the new bantamweight champion.

The fight took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, just steps away from Sterling’s New York.

With the fight taking place so close to his hometown, you’d expect the crowd to flock to the bantamweight champion.

Sterling was booed by the New Jersey crowd ahead of his fight with legend Henry Cejudo (R)

Leading up to the fight, however, Sterling received constant boos from the crowd – which UFC legend Daniel Cormier found baffling.

Up YouTube channel, Cormier said, “Give this man his respect. This guy does everything you want as a champion. He’s active, he fights the best guys they put in front of him, he wins fights, he acts like a champ. It’s time to stop berating Aljamain Sterling.

“It sucks that this happens over and over again. And in Newark, New Jersey, which is very close to New York, Aljo is booed. It really didn’t make any sense. I don’t know what this man has to do to get your respect. If tonight wasn’t enough, you’ll never be satisfied.’

Despite the crowd’s hostile appeals, Sterling managed to put in a great performance and outscore Cejudo from start to finish.