Aljamain Sterling got the job done in his new weight class at UFC 300.
The last UFC event was a pretty darn good one, wasn’t it? UFC CEO Dana White stacked the deck and promised us an all-timer, and undeniably, it delivered with one of the most absurd lineups ever seen in MMA history. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean that every fight provided the same level of fireworks as the unforgettable BMF title tilt between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.
That bar was always going to be impossibly high to reach. However, with all the overall greatness that the event delivered, the slightest of stinkers would get called out and criticized. That’s where the former UFC bantamweight champion Sterling’s unanimous decision over Calvin Kattar at featherweight comes in. It was a dominant effort from Sterling, and former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier believes it made a worthy argument for “Funk Master” to challenge the new BMF champion, Holloway.
“Put ‘Aljo’ in the BMF title fight, yes,” Cormier said on Good Guy / Bad Guy. “If anybody is a BMF, they can do what ‘Aljo’ did at UFC 300. You go up a weight class, you dominate somebody in the grappling like that, that’s a BMF, Ryan. Put ‘Aljo’ in the next title fight.”
The latest episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy was a special one, as it saw Cormier reunite with his previous ESPN co-host on DC & RC, former Pittsburgh Steelers free safety and Super Bowl XLIII champion, Ryan Clark. In typical fashion, they weren’t afraid to disagree with each other.
Sterling’s Kattar victory was his first after his tough second-round TKO title loss to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 this past August. Had the 34-year-old 28-fight veteran (24-4) come up short, he’s since admitted that probably would have been a wrap on his career. Thankfully for Sterling, he went out and looked just fine at 145 pounds. It just wasn’t the most exciting of performances, and Clark wasn’t afraid to call a spade a spade.
“It is, D.C. It’s a ‘boring motherf*****. That’s what that is,” Clark responded. “That’s what the BMF would stand for if Aljamain Sterling was the new BMF champion (laughs).
“I love him. He has to win. You gotta go out and win, that’s why it’s called mixed martial arts. Chael [Sonnen] landed strikes against Anderson Silva and rocked him then Chael took it to the ground and dominated him on the ground. I have no problem with that. Chael is absolutely a BMF. If it is two names that are that big, I am okay with the fight going that way. Just don’t put the belt up. Put the real belt up for that fight. Do not put the BMF up for it.”
Crossover. Sean O’Malley confident he’s 2 wins away from Ryan Garcia boxing match, Garcia responds
Hype. Coach: Conor McGregor technique ‘as sharp as ever’ ahead of Michael Chandler fight
Expensive. Conor McGregor’s UFC 303 return features ticket packages exceeding $12,000
Next. Deiveson Figueiredo calls for ‘dream fight’ with Dominick Cruz for UFC 303
Unique. Jiri Prochazka explains what being samurai means to him, pre-fight UFC 300 visualization at T-Mobile Arena
Onward. Aspinall? Ankalaev? Alex Pereira discusses options for next move after UFC 300
Idea. Daniel Cormier calls for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler to be 165-pound ‘super lightweight’ title fight
BROADENED HORIZIN.
UFC Vegas 91 Promo.
Free fight.
Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!
Poatan things.
Champ.
Nothing odd to see here.
What the.
NEW: Iranian MMA fighter gets jumped after his fight after kicking a ring girl and allegedly sucker punching his opponent.
Bare-knuckle fighter Ali Heibati “found out” after a Moscow fight on Friday.
After taking a cheap shot against the ring girl, his opponent and a… pic.twitter.com/T3R98bWZPM
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 22, 2024
Good for them calling this out.
Road to UFC.
The search is ON once again!
Presenting the tournament brackets for Season 3! Who will earn their spot in the Octagon?
#RTU3 starts May 18-19 at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai! pic.twitter.com/xlVGhCyidi
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) April 23, 2024
James Llontop (14-2) vs. Chris Padilla (13-6); UFC Vegas 91, April 27
Ben Tynan (6-0) vs. Mauro Cerilli (15-5); ONE 167, June 8
Dakota Ditcheva (11-0) vs. Chelsea Hackett (4-2-1); PFL Uncasville, June 13
Valentin Moldavsky (13-3) vs. Linton Vassell (24-9); PFL Uncasville, June 13
R.C. comes back for one appearance and is as cold-blooded as ever. Sheesh.
Thanks for reading!
Poll
Will Aljamain Sterling fight for another UFC title before his career is over?
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.
