Aljamain Sterling admits move to 145lbs could be in his future
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling admits that a move up to 145lbs could be in his future.
Sterling hasn’t fought since last October at UFC 280 when he finished TJ Dillashaw in dominant fashion to defend his 135lbs title. His next title defense is set to come against Henry Cejudo sometime in the next few months, potentially in May. Should he win that fight, there is a potential money fight against Sean O’Malley that is out there for him. But with Sterling’s teammate, Merab Dvalishvili, also making moves up the UFC bantamweight division, it’s possible Sterling leaves the weight class for good and lets his teammate make a run for the title instead.
Speaking to The Schmo in a recent interview, Sterling admitted that the move to 145lbs could come sooner rather than later, should he successfully defend his belt against Cejudo.
“I’m probably just going to go up to 145 and let Merab continue to reign terror on the rest of these guys in the bantamweight division,” Sterling said, explaining why the move to 145lbs could be in his near future (via MMAjunkie.com).
“Could be I got dense bones. I get pretty heavy. People are calling me a weight bully now, because they’re running out of excuses why I keep winning. I win because I put in the work. I do very meticulous work. I prepare very well. I train my ass off. I cut the weight the right way. I show up, I perform, I win. (145 pounds), it would make things a little bit easier, probably keep my body a little more healthy, because I won’t have to deplete myself as much. I’m 167 this morning; I’m cutting down to 135. It’s a lot of weight. Everyone else is doing it. They don’t say anything about Islam (Makhachev) being a weight bully. They don’t say nothing about Khabib (Nurmagomedov) being a weight bully.”
How do you think Aljamain Sterling will perform in the UFC featherweight division if he decides to move up in weight?
