Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling received his first Hall of Fame induction ahead of his highly anticipated return to action. octagon later this year.
The “Funk Master” is slated for his second consecutive main event spot on August 19 where he is set to duel with #2 candidate Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in Boston. It will be a relatively short turnaround for Sterling after successfully defending his third title against former champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in May.
This weekend, the Cage Fury Fighting Championship announced that Aljamain Sterling would be inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame, an honor the “Funk Master” was truly grateful for.
“Thank you guys for persuading me in [Cage Fury FC] Hall of Fame!” Sterling chirp. “You guys have given me a great opportunity to develop my skills against some of the toughest opponents in the Northeast regional circuit. 5 fights, 4 finishes, 3 title defenses, [phone] to the UFC! “
Sterling Gymnastics continues to dominate despite fan backlash
Aljamain Sterling competed under the CFFC banner between 2011 and 2013 before being called up by Uncle Dana. During his career, Sterling went 5-0 with four starts. He captured the promotion’s bantamweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Shawn Santella and went on to defend the title three times before exiting the promotion.
Despite being on a nine-match winning streak with three successful title defenses under the UFC banner, Aljamain Sterling failed to connect with fans. Funk Master has been regularly harassed on social media, largely due to his controversial disqualification win over Petr Yan for the 2021 bantamweight title in judo. Even with his impressive resume, his accomplishments are often dismissed by fans.
Aljamain Sterling will attempt to turn the script around this August when he takes on true fan favorite Sean O’Malley in a massive main event showdown.