“Legendary.”
That’s the word Aljamain Sterling predicts fans will use when reflecting upon his UFC 273 co-main event title defense against Petr Yan. The prediction is high praise toward a scenario yet to play out, but in order for there to be a legend, there has to be a good story. The reigning bantamweight champion, Sterling finds himself in the midst of an unusual tale, which is half the battle.
“I want people to remember everything that happened in the lead-up to this, from Petr Yan pulling out the very, very first fight we had back in 2020 in December,” Sterling told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “December 12 he pulled out for ‘personal reasons,’ whatever the hell that means. Then, we had our fight. I had a bad day in the office. Having the whole surgery, having to deal with everyone talking sh*t while my hands are literally tied behind my back and I can’t do anything.
“Now, we get the opportunity to see who is who. The domination I’m planning on having in this fight, if it goes the way I can believe it will go, I think people are going to use the word legendary. I think it’s going to be one of those types of performances where people will look back like, ‘Man, after all that sh*t, the fact he came back and did it that way, there’s no other word to describe how impressive it was.’
Sterling, 32, won the bantamweight title at UFC 259 in March, but not in the fashion any young fighter visualizes when envisioning their title clinch. On the receiving end of an illegal knee from Yan, Sterling won via disqualification.
The method by which Sterling won put a target on his back. Critics, trolls, and doubters flocked out of the woodwork. The influx of negative comments and messages on social media was unfamiliar territory for Sterling, but he quickly grew used to it.
“I’m definitely immune to the nonsense,” Sterling said. “I entertain it from time to time because I’m on my phone and it is just something I’ve always done. I don’t block people. I don’t mute them. I entertain it. For me, it’s just the next chapter in my career. That’s really it. It’s been a long time coming, with all the chatter.”
In the months that followed his controversial title win, Sterling encountered more bumps in the road. The fire of the critics fueled as injuries delayed his return and the UFC instated an interim title. Through it all, Sterling has learned it doesn’t matter if strangers like him or not. But whether or not they respect him? That’s a different story.
“I don’t need them to like me,” Sterling said. “I don’t need them to come up to me and ask me for pictures and that type of thing. That stuff, it’s honestly for the birds. Like, who gives a sh*t about that? That sh*t can fly away at any given moment as you see. One day, they’re on the bandwagon. The next, they’re talking sh*t, commenting saying, ‘I used to be a fan.’ Motherf*cker you were never a fan. Go f*ck off and piss off somewhere. I don’t give a sh*t. Why do you feel the need to come out of your day to tell me that? I really don’t understand it. I will never understand people like that. But at the end of the day, I don’t get anything out of (popularity). I’m in the sport to make money, to cement my name in history amongst the greatest bantamweights of all time, and that’s really it. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
Doubt Sterling? He’s fine with it because he sees a middle ground between you and him. Something you both can agree on is that UFC 273 will answer the questions about who is right and who is wrong.
“I’m just excited to compete and ready to shut all these critics up and these couch potato professionals and really just stick it to Yan and show him that I am who I say I am,” Sterling said.
UFC 273 takes place Saturday, April 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+. Check out MMA Junkie’s full interview with Sterling below.
‘Legendary’: Aljamain Sterling doesn’t need fandom, knows the truth will show at UFC 273
