Aljamain Sterling shares old tweet from 2011 predicting his championship reign 

Aljamain Sterling strolled down memory lane on Twitter last night. The reigning UFC bantamweight champion stumbled upon a tweet he posted in 2011 which predicted his future rise.

'Funk Master' first competed in MMA professionally in April 2011, and by July of that year, Sterling was already 4-0. In his fifth fight, which took place in October 2011, 'Funk Master' was able to secure the CFFC Bantamweight Championship at CFFC 11.

Days prior to the event, Aljamain Sterling posted a tweet declaring that 'one of these days' he would be the UFC world champion. Whilst looking back at the tweet from 2011, 'Funk Master' said this:

"How crazy is this??? I made my pro debut April 2011. This tweet was October 2011."

Check out the tweet below:

Aljamain Sterling carried his momentum throughout the first 12 fights of his MMA career. 'Funk Master' remained unbeaten until his fourth UFC fight, where he lost a split decision to Bryan Caraway at UFC Fight Night 88.

Sterling lost his next fight to veteran Raphael Assuncao at UFC on Fox 23. But the reigning champion regathered his focus and amassed a record of 10-1 following his two-fight losing skid.

'Funk Master' went on to dominate tough opponents such as Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera on his way to a title-eliminator fight with Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250.

It was arguably the best performance of Sterling's career, as he was able to secure a rear-naked choke submission in the very first round of their showdown. The Serra-Longo Fight Team product was awarded the Performance of The Night, as well as a shot at UFC gold.

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Aljamain Sterling says he deserves some time off; eyes two fights next year

Aljamain Sterling recently defended his UFC bantamweight title at UFC 280 against T.J. Dillashaw. 'Funk Master' secured a second-round TKO after his opponent dislocated his shoulder and essentially fought with one arm.

Sterling's next opponent is yet to be decided, with the likes of Sean O'Malley and Henry Cejudo being named as possible candidates.

However, the UFC matchmakers will have plenty of time to finalize an opponent, as the 33-year-old recently revealed he won't be fighting until mid-2023.

Marc Raimondi of ESPN MMA recently interviewed 'Funk Master', and asked the reigning champion when he is looking to return to the octagon. Sterling replied:

"I think I deserve a little bit of time off, just like all these other guys you know. They get to have their time off, why can't I? I went through everything, I did what I had to do. I fought twice this year, and I plan on fighting twice next year as well, maybe three. We'll see how the landscape plays out."

Watch the full interview below:

Aljamain Sterling will be looking to make UFC bantamweight history the next time he sets foot in the octagon. 'Funk Master' has tied the current record for most UFC bantamweight title defenses, with two, alongside Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw.