Sterling has no luck with opponents’ knees. How Aljo knocked out an outsider note
Sergey Sorokin August 19, 2023, 19:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
With this loss, the American’s path to the UFC championship belt began.
On the night of August 19-20, Aljamain Sterling will once again defend his championship belt. The American’s opponent will be his compatriot Sean O’Malley, who defeated Petr Yan and earned the title shot from him. Many have grown accustomed to the fact that Aljo dominates the bantamweight division almost completely, holding the belt on his shoulder for a long time. But few people remember exactly how Sterling’s road to the championship began.
The most interesting details of the next tournament:
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On December 9, 2017, Aljamain fought Marlon Morais at UFC Fight Night. The American was considered the clear favorite of this confrontation. He constantly destroyed two other Brazilians: Augusto Mendez and Renan Barao. It seemed that now Aljo would calmly continue on his way to the championship belt. But Morais got in the way, who wanted to take revenge on his compatriots. And the reward was successful.
From the first seconds, Marlon rushed to attack the rival and even sent Sterling to the canvas. But Aljo quickly got to his feet and tried to answer. However, the Brazilian’s courage seemed daunting. Therefore, he again transferred the opponent. Aljamain began to get nervous, you could tell. And most importantly, the American could not decide in which position to work with an opponent. Morais got accurate shots, the tonnage of which only increased.
And in the second minute of the opening round, something happened that was a real shock to everyone in the arena. Aljamain leaned in too far, preparing an attempt to bring the matter to the ground. This was seen by Morais, who instantly delivered a powerful knee to the head. The knockout was beautiful. Sterling passed out and fell face down on the canvas. The referee immediately signaled that the fight was over, there was no need to end it. It is worth noting that the Brazilian acted extremely correctly, he did not even try to rush to the defeated opponent, to inflict a few more blows for reliability.
Sterling’s championship raises questions for many:
Deceit and intrigue. Sterling once again justifies the title of UFC’s muddiest champion
Sterling suffered a humiliating loss to an underdog that forced him to completely rethink his approach to fighting. The American got angry and never lost to anyone in the UFC again. Aljamain delivered a string of nine wins and managed to defend the championship belt three times.
