"Terrible memories" - Aljamain Sterling reacts after Lerone Murphy lands brutal knee on Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 267

Aljamain Sterling had flashbacks after witnessing Lerone Murphy knock Makwan Amirkhani out with a knee to the head in the second round of their UFC 267 clash.

Murphy caught his opponent with a perfectly timed knee strike as Amirkhani shot for a takedown. Sterling, whose bantamweight championship crowning came after he took an illegal knee to the head, took to Twitter to share his instant reaction. 'Funk Master' wrote:

"Terrible memories! TBF, I don’t remember anything immediately after the knee. So technically it’s not a memory #amirite?"

Murphy's knee strike knockout was so picture-perfect that he was confident he'd be taking home a Performance of the Night bonus. The 30-year-old featherweight kept his record unblemished at 11-0-1 with his victory earlier today.

On the flipside, it was a scary incident for Amirkhani, who was down on the ground for several minutes after receiving the fight-ending blow. Thankfully, the Finnish featherweight was eventually able to get back to his feet under his own power.

Sterling, meanwhile, captured the UFC 135-pound title after Petr Yan blasted him with an illegal knee to the head at UFC 259 in March. The blow rendered 'Funk Master' unable to continue, leading to Yan's disqualification. Sterling, in turn, became the first fighter to win a UFC title via DQ.

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Aljamain Sterling predicts the co-main event of UFC 267

It's no surprise that Aljamain Sterling will be glued to his screen for the duration of today's main card. The co-main event will decide who, between Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen, will meet him in a title unification bout sometime in 2022.

Either way, it will be a rematch for Sterling. However, according to the reigning champion, his money is on the rangier Sandhagen. Appearing on MMA Fighting's Fighter vs. Writer podcast, Sterling revealed:

"I do think Sandhagen gives him a ton of trouble on the feet, and I think that’s what is going to make this very, very difficult [for Petr Yan]. Because Yan kind of stands there, kind of plods forward and he’s just looking for that big shot, hopefully can catch you. It’s one of those things where a guy like myself, a guy like Sandhagen, a guy like [T.J.] Dillashaw, anyone that has any kind of real footwork, he’s going to have a really hard time with those guys trying to find them. Sandhagen’s real tall, he’s really rangy."

Listen to Aljamain Sterling's appearance on Fighter vs. Writer below: