UFC 300 has just passed us and what an event it turned out to be. With some of the most enthralling moments in all of combat sports history taking place, the event will be one for the history books. However, it was not as equally enjoyable for all, something Aljamain Sterling can attest to.
For those unaware, ‘The Funkmaster’ made his featherweight debut on the preliminary card of UFC 300. Fighting just before the featured prelims, Sterling was placed quite high on the card as compared to some of his peers. On the night, he faced the now #9 ranked featherweight, Calvin Kattar.
145ers go head to head in our next matchup 👊@CalvinKattar vs @FunkMasterMMA
[ #UFC300 is LIVE now on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/7EYHU2U45N
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
Despite his ranking, ‘The Boston Finisher’ has had a difficult go of things in recent times. Coming off back-to-back losses to Josh Emmett and Arnold Allen, things were about to get a lot worse for Kattar. On the night, Aljamain Sterling pitched a shutout to Kattar, who managed to only 8 significant strikes in three rounds. Despite the seemingly dominant victory, it was not the best night at the office for Sterling.
Aljamain Sterling reveals how he cried backstage after his fight with Calvin Kattar
On paper, the fight may look like Aljamain Sterling shut down and smother Calvin Kattar completely. However, what transpired and what the fans witnessed was much different than that. Naturally, the game plan from Sterling was always going to be very wrestling-heavy, and on the night, it worked brilliantly.
However, considering what the fans had witnessed in the fights prior, they felt as though Sterling’s performance was too boring. As such, they let their thoughts be known with constant booing during and after the fight. Most notably, and telling thing was that the former bantamweight champ did not even get an Octagon interview. Understandably, all these things weighed heavily on Sterling, who got emotional backstage.
“I get it wasn’t the craziest ground and pound, but it takes two to tango. If he’s not trying to give up position so that he doesn’t get finished, what am I supposed to do? Max Holloway couldn’t put him away for crying out loud, and we say how that fight was.”
“I started tearing up a little in the back, and I’m like man, ‘How am I supposed to beat a guy like Ilia, a guy like Volk, if I’m going to perform like that?”
During the press conference, Aljamain Sterling had cut a very excited figure after the announcement of $300,000 bonuses. However, the fans quickly clipped that and posted it after his fight, criticizing him for delivering the worst fight of the night. Thus, what may have seemed a good performance on a normal occasion, felt like a terrible one at UFC 300 for Sterling.
Aljamain Sterling responds to fan criticism after UFC 300 performance
For the most part, the fan reception, coupled with the fact that he was the only winner at UFC 300 that did not get an Octagon interview, had Aljamain Sterling feeling very disappointed with himself. Whilst his interview was likely skipped due to timing restrictions, the vibes and the way things went may have made him feel as though he lost.
Luckily, as Sterling has since revealed, Facebook and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s praise made him feel much better. Thereafter, the 34-year-old watched his performance back and felt as though he was pretty much flawless. As such, he explains that he did the best with what was given and put on a dominant showing.
“If I was there and I had a clear-cut path to just posture up and throw punches, and I didn’t, boo the hell out of me. Boo me out of the stadium, boo me out of Las Vegas back to New York. But there weren’t any real opportunities like that.”
Looking good in his new weight class 😤@FunkMasterMMA leaves #UFC300 with a UD victory! pic.twitter.com/YsZG0JlfKj
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
“I get the frustration from the fans because the fights were all so good, but Kattar did what he had to do to shut me down to keep him in the fight and I did what I had to do to dominate the fight. I think when you look at it like that, well you kind of have to give me a little slack.”
Thus, as Aljamain Sterling suggests, his opponent, despite getting taken down 8 times and being controlled for more than 10 minutes in a three-round fight gave him little room to do much else. As such he also compares his performance to that of Kayla Harrison against Holly Holm, who he felt allowed the debutant to take her back and choke her out.