It’s a sad day for Bantamweight fans as the long-awaited bout between Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling has reportedly been delayed. This time it wasn’t a UFC decision or a contract issue however, the current champion himself announced his decision to step away from this fight but didn’t shoot down the possibility of a future bout.
Aljamain has had one of the most controversial championship journeys in the UFC. His first title fight against Petr Yan saw him getting fouled by his opponent and awarded the decision as per UFC laws. Many fans were not ready to accept such a decision and they labeled Aljo a ‘fake champion.’
After a long recovery period, Sterling faced Yan again and this time managed to hold his own comparatively well earning a victory by decision. Unfortunately, fans were split on this decision and many thought the fight should have gone in favor of the Russians. Next, ‘Funkmaster’ would get to clear all controversy from his name as he was set to take on a legend.
The buildup to the TJ Dillashaw vs Aljamain Sterling match was intense with both fighters going back and forth against each other. The fight, however, was shockingly uneventful. Dillashaw suffered an injury that he hadn’t informed the UFC about and his shoulders gave out pretty much in the first few minutes of the fight, leading to a prompt finish.
Aljamain was happy with his performance and frankly, the blame wasn’t really on him. The controversial champion did not have much time to rest as his next matchup was getting set up against a two-division UFC champion and an Olympic gold medalist, Henry Cejudo.
Why did Aljamain Sterling pull out?
Per MMA News, Aljamain discussed his reasons for pulling out from the Henry Cejudo bout stating, “It’s whether or not I can compete with this torn bicep again,” Sterling said. “Going through another training camp with a torn bicep, against a guy who is stronger in the wrestling department, who will use his wrestling more…I’m going to need this bicep to compete at 100%. And I don’t take Henry Cejudo lightly…is it realistic for me to fight in March? I don’t think it really is.”
We certainly hope this fight does take place eventually.
