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Ray Longo feels like Aljamain Sterling has been training freely with the Petr Yan rivalry now in the past.
After winning the UFC bantamweight title by disqualification against Yan, ‘Funk Master’ received relentless backlash from fans and fighters for allegedly exaggerating the effects of Yan's illegal knee strike. Longo has been with Sterling his entire career, and witnessed firsthand the backlash's mental impact on the bantamweight champion.
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During the UFC 280 Embedded series, Longo had this to say about the weight being lifted off Sterling's shoulders after beating Yan definitively:
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“I’m a personal believer that every fight in the UFC is a big fight, but obviously, now he’s defending his title for the second time. It’s huge, and he earned the right to be here. He looks great. You know, the last fight with [Petr] Yan, he got a big weight off his shoulders. I think I’m just even seeing in training that he’s a much freer person now. I think you’re gonna see Aljo be himself.”
Sterling turned the backlash into support after beating Yan at UFC 273. ‘Funk Master’ now has a new rivalry against TJ Dillashaw, which has escalated with constant insults about the former champion’s PED usage. The bantamweight title showdown is one of the many reasons to watch UFC 280.
Watch Ray Longo discuss Aljamain Sterling below:
Ray Longo details the importance of Aljamain Sterling having Al Iaquinta as a training partner
Longo-Weidman MMA features several UFC champions and contenders that have trained together for a long time. Two of those are Al Iaquinta and Aljamain Sterling. During the same UFC 280 Embedded episode, Ray Longo had this to say about the close relationship between ‘Funk Master’ and ‘Raging Al':
“It’s not even who can mimic TJ [Dillashaw], but Aljo always worked the corners for me and Matt [Serra] when Al [Iaquinta] was fighting, so I know he looked up to Al and Al has been an inspiration. So, to have him as a training partner now, beautiful.”
Sterling has a tough test waiting at UFC 280. Dillashaw picked up right where he left off with a gritty win against Cory Sandhagen after returning from a PED suspension. The former Ultimate Fighter runner-up also has plenty of title fight experience. That said, most MMA fans and analysts learned not to underestimate ‘Funk Master’ after he beat Yan in the rematch.
