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Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is in recovery mode after suffering a minor injury in preparation for his featherweight fight against Movsar Evloev at UFC 307 next month. This effectively left Evloev without an opponent, although the UFC might scramble for a new one in the next few days.
A fan on X, who goes by @manngooooooooo, asked 'Funkmaster' what's the timeframe for his recovery, saying:
"Goat, how long do you think it will take to recover from your injury and when do you aim to return to the octagon"
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Aljamain Sterling replied:
"I’m praying I heal in 1 more week."
In a video he uploaded online to announce his decision to pull out of the fight, Sterling explained that the injury was serious but didn't require surgery. He also said he tried stem cells and rehab sessions with the UFC PI for treatment but to no avail.
It seems 'Funkmaster' suffered the injury early into fight camp but tried to push forward until he and his team assessed that he wouldn't be 100% come fight night.
Fighting at the highest level in the UFC, we can't blame Sterling for making that decision.
Aljamain Sterling explains how injury happened in sparring
In an interview with SiriusXM Fight Nation, Sterling explained how the injury happened during sparing, As it turned out, a Kimura lock attempt by his sparring partner caused his arm to twist in a certain way, and an audible sound was heard.
Aljamain Sterling explained:
"It happened two weeks ago, September 5th, I was sparring. Half-way through the first round...and it's such a weird thing because normally the Kimura puts pressure on the shoulder. So I was more worried about my shoulder because obviously, once the arm goes behind your back, once it does that 90-degree angle, that's where the concern comes in."
He continued:
"I was able to straighten my arm back, and as I straightened it, I was trying to turn it over so I could get to a position where I could now sit on the double or control the biceps...But as I was turning it, a cross-friction caused a tear on my forearm. And it sounded like a new pair of gloves and you just take that velcro off, and [makes velcro sound]."
Here's the interview segment as posted by @siriusxmfightnation on Instagram:
