Aljamain
Sterling didn’t take long to set his sights on a new opponent
following a split-decision triumph over Petr Yan in
the UFC 273
co-main event.
“Funk Master” used his post-fight microphone time to call out
former bantamweight champion T.J.
Dillashaw, who was in attendance at Vystar Veterans Memorial
Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday night. Sterling elaborated
on his fiery speech at the UFC 273 post-fight press conference.
“The guy’s just been nonstop talking about me, talking about my
heart and … the spirit of a fighter,” Sterling said of Dillashaw.
“The spirit of a fighter is someone who’s never going to give up,
if you ask me, and I think I showed that this time. I think I
showed that even in my worst night, which was my first performance
against Yan. That was a shell of myself and he couldn’t get me out
of there that night, and he wasn’t going to get me out of there
this night, either. I showed what I’m capable of, and where my
mental fortitude is at. You’re going to need a lot more than that
to break me and make me quit in there.”
Sterling initially claimed bantamweight gold via disqualification
at UFC 259 after Yan landed an illegal knee in the fourth round of
their title fight. The Serra-Longo Fight Team member underwent neck
surgery to repair a lingering issue after the bout, which resulted
in the rematch being delayed until UFC 273. Dillashaw questioned
whether Sterling would return at all during the layoff, which drew
the ire of the champion.
Sterling believes it’s hypocritical of Dillashaw to question anyone
after a positive test for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) in
2019 resulted in a two-year suspension forced him to relinquish the
bantamweight crown. Dillashaw returned to action last July with a
victory over Corey Sandhagen in the UFC on ESPN 27 main event.
“If anyone’s mentally weak, it’s that guy,” Sterling said. The guy
needed steroids and EPO to catapult his career, to even win as many
fights as he did in the UFC. So his whole UFC tenure is tainted. So
I can’t wait to punch him in the face. That would be somebody I
would enjoy punching. He’s got good skill, but the guy’s a cheat,
he’s dirty, and I’d like an opportunity to slap him up, and we can
figure out who’s No. 1 again.”
As far as the matchup goes, Sterling is confident that grappling
skills would be too much for Dillashaw to handle. While Yan was
able to survive prolonged periods with Sterling attached to his
back, “Funk Master” doesn’t believe Dillashaw is capable of doing
the same thing. And he won’t be foolish enough to be baited into
the type of fight that Dillashaw might desire, either.
“He wants to stand and trade the whole time, and I think anyone
realizes, I can stand up and strike, but I don’t need to. It’s kind
of a silly game to do that the whole time if I have an expertise
and I’m so much better in another area than my opponents,” Sterling
said. “So if I can exploit that, why not? If I can level change and
have you respecting the takedown instead of just trading punches
with you, I’m going to do that.
“So it’s an interesting fight. I think he’s a little small for the
weight, and I get on his back like that, I think that guy gets out
of there. I drop those shots on T.J.’s little head, though, I don’t
think he’s taking the way Yan did in the second round.”