Aljamain Sterling Sidelined By Injury

Aljamain Sterling has revealed that he suffered a grade 2 tear in his tricep during his recent unanimous decision victory over Brian Ortega at UFC Shanghai.

The injury occurred in the fourth round when he attempted a spinning back elbow. Sterling, who was temporarily unable to defend himself due to the injury, admitted to a moment of panic. He managed to close out the win, with a unanimous decision: 50-45 (x3). Despite the setback, the former UFC Bantamweight Champion is hopeful that he can return to the octagon by December.

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"So I got my MRI back: Grade 2 tear in my tricep. But they said strain. As he’s reading the report, he goes, ‘Grade 2 strain.’ So I’m relaxed, I’m chilling. I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just a strain. I’ll be back, no problem. That’s not like a tear or anything.’ Ryan goes, ‘A strain is a tear. What are you talking about?’ But yeah, I’ve got a partial tear in my tricep tendon.

"The thing is still a balloon. I’m a little bit saddened by that because obviously the momentum, riding a wave right now then that happens. I’m thinking maybe I can be back and ready to compete by December, which I still think I can. It just depends on how fast this heals," Sterling said

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The timing of this injury is particularly unfortunate for Sterling, as he was hoping to build on the momentum of his win over Ortega. Sterling is now a top-ranked contender in the featherweight division and a potential title challenger. With a possible December return, he would be looking to take on another high-ranking opponent to cement his place at the top. A fight against a top-five featherweight like Movsar Evloev or Arnold Allen would make sense and would put Sterling in a prime position for a title shot.

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