Aljamain Sterling emerged victorious at UFC Shanghai, but some damage was done.
Sterling had a one-sided showing against Brian Ortega in their five-round featherweight clash. It was a clean sweep for “Funkmaster,” who secured 50-45 scores from all three judges. It was a big win for Sterling, who now finds himself in the top five featherweight rankings.
It isn’t all good news for the former UFC Bantamweight Champion, as he revealed on his YouTube channel that he suffered an injury during the fight (via MMAJunkie.com).
“So I got my MRI back: Grade 2 tear in my tricep,” Sterling said. “But they said strain. As he’s reading the report, he goes, ‘Grade 2 strain.’ So I’m relaxed, I’m chilling. I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just a strain. I’ll be back, no problem. That’s not like a tear or anything.’ Ryan goes, ‘A strain is a tear. What are you talking about?’ But yeah, I’ve got a partial tear in my tricep tendon. The thing is still a balloon.”
Sterling hopes the injury won’t prevent him from having one more fight before the end of the year.
“I’m a little bit saddened by that because obviously the momentum, riding a wave right now then that happens,” Sterling said. “I’m thinking maybe I can be back and ready to compete by December, which I still think I can. It just depends on how fast this heals.”
The 145-pound weight class has been heating up with a slew of worthy contenders. The likes of Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy have emerged as potential title challengers. Reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski has called to face Murphy following the No. 4-ranked fighter’s spectacular knockout win over Aaron Pico at UFC 319.
Time will tell how quickly Sterling can heal before he’s able to return to the Octagon, possibly for No. 1 contender status.