Aljamain Sterling: A king rejected by his subjects

There is no disputing that Aljamain Sterling is one of the greatest fighters in the world. His balanced blend of athleticism, dynamic kicks, strong wrestling and dangerous Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills have enabled him to climb all the way to the peak of the UFC bantamweight division.

Yet, despite his accomplishments, 'Funk Master' has always been deprived of one thing: the respect of both UFC fans and his peers. At UFC 288, Aljamain Sterling will cross swords with Henry Cejudo, a former titleholder who never lost his crown in the octagon.

In Cejudo's eyes, Sterling is a pretender. On May 6, 'Funk Master' aims to not only retain his championship, but to finally force the bantamweight division and 'Triple C' to bend the knee to him.

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Finding an escape on the wrestling mats

The parallels between Aljamain Sterling's childhood and that of his scheduled opponent Henry Cejudo are uncanny. The two men spent their early days in a house they shared with countless siblings, with their necks pressed under the boots of their abusive fathers.

They were both raised by hardworking mothers who put on brave faces against a storm of domestic violence. More than anything, however, they both escaped their harrowing circumstances by finding a safe haven in the sport of wrestling, which Sterling credits with steering him towards the right path in life.

The future UFC champion discovered wrestling a little later than others usually do. He was a 15-year old high schooler when he first laid eyes on the mats. Yet he still took to wrestling with seamless skill. Despite his natural talent, however, Sterling never made it past NCAA Division III wrestling.

But this wasn't due to any shortcomings he had as a grappler. Instead, it was due to his grades in class not being up to par. With no prospects of being able to reach NCAA Division I wrestling, Aljamain Sterling enrolled himself at Morrisville State College. There, his wrestling career continued and a chance encounter took place.

He crossed paths with future MMA GOAT claimant Jon Jones, leading to his first spark of interest in mixed martial arts. Before long, Sterling fully committed himself to a career in MMA. The rest, as is often said, was history.

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Aljamain Sterling's journey from undefeated to humbled

Not only was Aljamain Sterling a natural-born wrestler, but his instincts for fighting were as good as could be. His unorthodox wrestling and grappling skills, for which he earned the moniker of 'Funk Master', led to near-instant success. By the time of his third fight, Sterling was crowned the Ring of Combat bantamweight champion.

In his subsequent fights, he captured and defended the 135 lbs crown of CFFC, racking up three consecutive title defenses. He was undefeated at the time, and after his eighth win, he could no longer be denied entry into the UFC. So in early 2014, he made his promotional debut with a win against Cody Gibson.

Several months later, he returned in a matchup with Hugo Viana. After outgrappling his opponent for most of the bout, Sterling scored a third-round TKO to claim victory. His finishing streak continued the following year as he scored a pair of back-to-back submission wins in 2015.

By then, Sterling was 12-0 as a professional fighter and his confidence was at an all-time high. His next opponent was Bryan Caraway, a man who had tasted defeat against Takeya Mizugaki, whom Aljamain Sterling had recently choked out. Thus, in his mind, he had no reason to doubt himself.

Ahead of their bout, Sterling's trash talk was in full form as he likened himself to a hitman hired by the UFC to defeat Caraway, who he claimed only sought to face beatable foes and was riding then girlfriend Miesha Tate's coatails. The two men locked horns at UFC Fight Night 88 with a lot on the line.

This was especially true for Sterling, whose pride and undefeated record were at stake. While he won the first round due to the strength of his wrestling and grappling skills, one of Sterling's most recurring problems first surfaced during the bout. After the first round, he began to tire out significantly.

This allowed Caraway to claw his way back into the fight to claim victory via split-decision. He stunned everyone as he outwrestled his opponent once Sterling's exhaustion took hold. It was a humbling loss. Unfortunately, it wasn't his final one.

His subsequent bout against Raphael Assunção revealed the lack of depth in his striking. While Aljamain Sterling has always been a powerful and dynamic kicker, his lesser boxing abilities made him uncomfortable once his opponents got too close to him.

Raphael Assunção took advantage of this by standing just an inch beyond his foe’s kicking range, causing Sterling to kick himself out of position. This opened him up to Assunção's punches and another loss followed. Suddenly, the formerly undefeated fighter was on a two-fight losing streak.

While he bounced back with two wins against Augusto Mendes and Renan Barão, a brutal KO loss against Marlon Moraes meant that Aljamain Sterling was in need of a change.

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A one-of-a-kind path to championship glory

After a disastrous end to his 2017 campaign towards the title, Aljamain Sterling transformed. He incorporated stance switches and threw punches right after his kicks in case they missed or were caught. This made his foes pay whenever they stepped inside his kicks, causing them to run face-first into his counterpunches.

Having made the necessary improvements as a striker, 'Funk Master' embarked on a tear. He amassed a five-fight win streak that culminated with a jaw-dropping victory against Cory Sandhagen. Upon entering the cage, Aljamain Sterling applied immediate pressure against 'The Sandman', backing him up to the fence.

A little over a minute later, Sterling raised his hands in victory after choking 'The Sandman' out. He had earned his title fight against Petr Yan, a cold-blooded Russian striker who was yet to taste defeat in the UFC. His opportunity came a year later. Unfortunately, Aljamain Sterling was not at his best.

He battled years of nerve damage in his neck that left him crippled with pain. Regardless, he gritted his teeth and stepped inside the octagon to fulfill his title-winning goals. In his mind, it might have been his only chance. While the first round of their bout was competitive, the rest of the fight was anything but.

Whether due to anxiety or excitement, Sterling couldn't stop himself from spazzing out like he had against Bryan Caraway years prior. By the time of the second round, he was exhausted. As the fight progressed, he was dropped and taken down en route to what the entire world assumed would be an easy win for Yan.

Instead, 'No Mercy' made a bizarre decision in the fourth round. While Aljamain Sterling had his knees on the mat as a grounded opponent, Yan blasted an illegal knee into his head. Sterling collapsed and was unable to resume fighting. Amid the chaos, Yan was disqualified for his transgression.

What then, did this mean for the title? As Sterling dragged himself back to his feet, fighting the cobwebs of a concussion, he was declared the new UFC bantamweight champion—becoming the first titleholder in the promotion to win a championship via DQ.

While Aljamain Sterling tossed his new belt on the canvas in disgust, it was not the final image that fans would have of the new 135 lbs king. Hours later, a picture of him standing alongside close friend Merab Dvalishvili made the rounds on social media. In the picture, Sterling was smiling.

Additionally, he was holding the title that fans had just seen him throw away in the cage. This led to accusations of Aljamain Sterling faking his outrage. The truth, however, is that Dvalishvili posted the picture in solidarity with his friend, convincing him to find a silver lining.

Unfortunately, it was poorly received and Sterling became the subject of countless memes. Furthermore, his decision to forgo an immediate rematch with Yan in favor of getting neck surgery for nerve damage led fans and Yan himself to accuse him of cowardice. But fate gave Sterling a second chance.

He survived Yan's best while he was at his worst. He wouldn't throw his foe such a bone ever again.

After Sterling recovered from his surgery, their rematch took place a year later. This time, their fight was a competitive war. The difference-maker, however, was Yan's inability to escape Sterling's body-triangle on the ground. After five hard rounds, 'Funk Master' was declared the rightful winner via split-decision.

Fans still undercut the merits of his win by pointing to the absence of Yan's usual corner from the fight. After enduring a year of ridicule and predictions that 'No Mercy' would destroy him in a rematch, Sterling was victorious yet still deprived of the credit he deserved.

His subsequent bout, however, would be another chance at legitimacy. His second title defense came against former 135 lbs champion T.J. Dillashaw. Ahead of their clash, Dillashaw was dismissive of Sterling's accomplishments. He scoffed at his striking and described him as a very beatable champion.

When the two men finally clashed, Sterling claimed victory with a third-round TKO. But again, the strength of his win was questioned due to Dillashaw's severe shoulder injury. After two successful title defenses, Sterling is still fighting for respect.

At UFC 288, he faces another former champion who has openly disrespected his skills. Come May 6, Aljamain Sterling will once again stand ready to silence his detractors and pry respect from their hands.