"He's phenomenal" - Josh Thomson gives props to Aljamain Sterling for his achievements so far and claims he can only get better now

Josh Thomson has praised UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling for his achievements thus far. Thomson also asserted that ‘Funk Master’ will continue to get better.

On the Weighing In Podcast, former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson and former MMA referee John McCarthy discussed Aljamain Sterling. They notably lauded Sterling’s sense of humor, citing his hilarious tweet wherein he’s sporting a "Dagestani beard."

Sterling purportedly showcased the Dagestani-style beard to insinuate that he’ll utilize his exceptional wrestling skills to win his much-awaited rematch against Petr Yan. The first Sterling-Yan matchup witnessed ‘Funk Master’ beat Yan via DQ (disqualification) due to an illegal knee at UFC 259 in March 2021.

Although Sterling captured the coveted UFC bantamweight title, he’s consistently maintained that he wasn’t pleased with the manner in which he won the title. On that note, Josh Thomson opined that while Sterling is a good wrestler, he’ll have to wrestle even better in his rematch against Yan.

‘The Punk’ and McCarthy also lauded Sterling for intelligently handling the negative criticism he’s received over his title win. Furthermore, praising Sterling’s fighting skills, Thomson stated:

“Even if he didn’t win the championship the way that he would want it, he’s still a good fighter; still a phenomenal fighter. That’s what people don’t understand. He’s still a damn good fighter. And I’ve given him a lot of flack on here because of the whole situation. But overall – and it should be said – he’s phenomenal. He’s good on the feet. He’s good on the ground. He’s still young. He’s got a lot of room to grow; not just as a fighter, but as a person. And I think he’s just going to continue to get better with a little bit of age. And his fight IQ will start to grow as well.”

Watch Thomson and McCarthy discuss Aljamain Sterling, and more, in the video below:

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Aljamain Sterling on his neck surgery influencing the longevity of his MMA career

Following his win over Petr Yan last March, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has been out of action due to issues related to his neck and back. Meanwhile, Yan beat Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision to win the interim UFC bantamweight title at UFC 267 last October.

The Sterling vs. Yan rematch will take place at UFC 273 on April 9th. The winner will emerge as the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion.

Ahead of his pivotal rematch against longtime rival Yan, Sterling revealed that his recent neck surgery was a success and that it’ll help prolong his career. ‘Funk Master’ asserted:

"New disc in my neck and all! Gonna be around a lot longer now too because of it!"