"That is a disgrace"- Aljamain Sterling unleashes post-match fury and questions Kevin Dantzler's game plan after grappling match loss

Aljamain Sterling is disappointed in the scoring system after his recent loss to Kevin Dantzler in a grappling bout.

Sterling, who lost his UFC bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, returned to competition in a grappling match at Fury Pro 8 on December 30. The 34-year-old previously defeated Mike Grundy at Polaris 25 in September 2023 and hoped to score the second grappling victory of the year against Dantzler.

Sterling has competed in the 135-pound weight class in the UFC so far. The grappling match took place at 160 pounds and the former UFC champion appeared to be the bigger man on the canvas. He was also the more active competitor and also got the better of Dantzler in a majority of exchanges. However, the judges scored the contest in the latter’s favor.

Sterling has fiercely protested against the decision since the fight concluded. While speaking to MMA journalist John Morgan, he questioned the legitimacy of the scoring system:

“I didn’t even know how they score that! Another man can’t drag his a** cheeks from the mat and that’s a win, doing absolutely nothing. Yeah, the sport is Jiu-jitsu guys. But I guarantee you if that was a street fight, my man wouldn’t do that sh**. So why are we turning the sport into some type of weird spectacle where you can win a match off of your back, doing absolutely nothing?”

Speaking further, ‘Funk Master’ criticized Dantzler’s strategy for the fight and added:

“Pull guard from standing up. Don’t just start the match on your butt. That should be deducted a point right out of the gate! Never let another man drag you by your ankles in front of your loved ones and friends! That is a disgrace!”

Sterling reacted to the video clip posted on UFC Fight Pass's X account and mocked the result:

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Aljamain Sterling to make his UFC featherweight debut in 2024

Aljamain Sterling has called the bantamweight division his home for the vast majority of his career. The 34-year-old’s only featherweight appearance came in 2011 when he defeated Evan Chmielski via TKO.

Following his loss to Sean O’Malley, ‘Funk Master’ has decided to move up to featherweight. Sterling will make his 145 pounds debut against No. 7 ranked Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024. 'Funk Master' has spoken about his troubles staying within the bantamweight limit on several occasions in the past.

While the potential confrontation with teammate Merab Dvalishvili was viewed as the reason for Sterling’s move to featherweight, he has reiterated that the transition was inevitable with or without the Dvalishvili factor.