Kattar Will Mimic O’Malley, Flatline ‘Funk Master’

Aljamain Sterling won’t be hunting for a takedown right out of the gate.

That’s according to “Funk Master,” who would prefer “not to rush it” when he makes his featherweight debut against Boston bruiser Calvin Kattar as part of the upcoming UFC 300 mega-event on Sat. night (April 13, 2024) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“I feel like it could be first or second round if it were to get to that position,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “But honestly, I’m not going to go hunting for a takedown right out of the gate. I kind of want to get my feet wet a little bit. Just feel the power, feel the pushback, and then kind of go from there. Just feel the fight, let the fight come to me and not rush it. Do what I normally used to do: take my time and just see what comes to me, versus trying to push the action to go on vacation. Now I’m out of vacation mode. I’m ready to scrap. I’m ready to compete. I got a burnout break, so I just feel like I have a fresh lease on my career.”

Sterling lost his bantamweight title after getting smoked by Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 last August in “Beantown.” Since he was already “dying” to make the division weight limit, there was little reason for “Funk Master” to stick around at 135 pounds.

Unfortunately, he could be facing the same fate on Sat. night against Kattar.

“You’ve got to be prepared for the best version,” Kattar told The MMA Hour. “A lot of people would say ‘oh a year and a half, you must have some ring rust.’ You put too much stock in that Aljo? Who gives a s—t? People say a lot of s—t. What’s going to matter is on fight night and it can go one of two ways. I’m going to do everything in my power to make it look like it did last August [against O’Malley]. I’m prepared for a hell of a fight and I would love an early finish but I’m prepared for anything that presents itself on Saturday.”

We’ll find out in just a few days.

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