"That's why he's been KO'd unconscious" - Marlon Vera explains why weight cuts negatively affect Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling has done well to prove a lot of doubters wrong over the years, but Marlon Vera believes that the UFC bantamweight champion's weight cuts could make him an easy target.

'Funk Master' successfully made his second defense of the title last time out when he put on a flawless performance against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280. Heading into the bout, many believed the high-level grappler was facing his toughest opponent to date, but he made short work of the injured former champion.

While speaking with Michael Bisping, Marlon Vera insisted that Aljamain Sterling's huge weight cuts could lead to him being knocked out much easier, as it has done in the past.

The Ecuadorian said:

"Cutting that much weight is cheating to me. You're kind of like, a pu**y if you cut that much weight because you want to be bigger and stronger... I'm 155 pounds in or out of camp, I feel that's like a natural 135lber and I'm still thinking I cut a sh**load of weight because 20 pounds is a lot. That motherf***er weighs like 170/180 pounds when he's eating f***ing God knows what. That's why he's been KO'd unconscious because [of] the amount of weight he cut. If you touch him, he might go down."

Despite the Ecuadorian's claims, Sterling has only been knocked out once in his MMA career, accumulating 25 fights and playing out for over a decade. Although he was knocked unconscious, the 33-year-old was on the wrong end of a perfectly-timed knee as he entered for a takedown against Marlon Moraes.

Check out what Marlon Vera had to say about the bantamweight king's potential issues in the video below:

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When is Marlon Vera fighting next?

After delivering a knockout-of-the-year contender head kick to Dominick Cruz earlier this year, Marlon Vera has his next assignment inside the octagon as he chases a future title shot.

The bantamweight division is arguably the most stacked in the entire sport and we could have a possible fight-of-the-year candidate on our hands when the South American collides with the always-entertaining Cory Sandhagen in early 2023.

Although they perhaps deserve a bigger stage, the two bantamweights will headline a Fight Night card in the UFC Apex, which could bode well for viewers as the two standup fighters lock horns in the smaller cage that sits inside the arena.