Aljamain
Sterling is expected to challenge for a UFC title in the very
near future, but his journey to become one of the top bantamweight
fighters in the promotion began long before he stepped into the
Octagon for the first time.
In “Not Broken,” a short film directed by Rory Karpf and produced
by Corey Frost, Sterling shares the story of a difficult childhood
in which he and his family were verbally and physically abused by
his father.
“I don’t have a lot of positive memories of my dad. He made us feel
small, weak, stupid, useless,” Sterling says in the film.
Many household duties – including taking care of his siblings –
fell on Sterling’s shoulders at a young age, but he was too small
to step in when his father became physical with his mother.
“One of the things about him that I don’t think I could ever
forgive is the domestic violence with my mom,” Sterling says. “One
time they were fighting in the kitchen and my dad was beating my
mom up. I remember him going outside, trying to leave, coming back
and going for a knife.
“I just remember her calling for me. Just hearing her voice,
calling for me screaming in pain like that – her voice pretty much
gone. It was scary. It’s f—ed up.”
As Sterling grew older, he found an outlet on the wrestling mats
after a friend convinced him to try the sport. Eventually, he would
go on to become a two-time Division III All-American wrestler at
Cortland. Even then, Sterling said his father tried to discourage
him attending practice and meets, but he would not be deterred.
“I was a broken kid with no direction. I found wrestling and that
helped change the course of my life,” Sterling says. “To see the
bond and camaraderie that those guys had, that I didn’t have, it
felt more like a family to me. I felt like I belonged. Having that,
I think it helped chip away at that shell, making me just a little
bit more confident in myself and what I was able to do as a person.
That was what I needed.”
Fast forward to the present day, and Sterling is the UFC
bantamweight division’s No. 1 contender. A date with reigning
135-pound king Petr Yan
looms, but the man known as “Funkmaster” for his unusual wrestling
style has already come further than most could imagine.
“When I step in the Octagon, I feel free,” Sterling says. “Free of
self-doubt, free of all these things. Belt, no belt – I feel I’m a
winner.”