History of Aljamain Sterling in Timeline

Aljamain Sterling is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the UFC's Featherweight division. He is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion, notable for being the first UFC champion to win a title by disqualification. Before joining the UFC, Sterling was the Cage Fury Fighting Championship Bantamweight Champion. As of September 2024, he is ranked #9 in the UFC featherweight division.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

July 31, 1989: Aljamain Sterling's Birth

On July 31, 1989, Aljamain Antoine Sterling was born. He is an American professional mixed martial artist.

1989: Early Life

In 1989, Aljamain Sterling was born in Uniondale, New York, to Jamaican parents, Cleveland and Sophia Sterling.

2004: High School Wrestling

In 2004, Aljamain Sterling started wrestling at Uniondale High School to avoid gang life.

2009: Amateur Career Start

In 2009, Aljamain Sterling began his amateur MMA career with a submission win.

July 16, 2014: UFC Fight Night 45 Victory

On July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45, Aljamain Sterling defeated Hugo Viana via TKO in the third round after landing a barrage of punches.

October 4, 2014: Pulled from UFC Fight Night

On October 4, 2014, Aljamain Sterling was scheduled to face Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine, but Sterling pulled out of the bout.

November 8, 2014: Pulled from UFC Fight Night 55

On November 8, 2014, Aljamain Sterling was scheduled to face Frankie Saenz at UFC Fight Night 55, but Saenz withdrew, a replacement was briefly linked but rescinded and Sterling was ultimately pulled from the event.

April 18, 2015: UFC on Fox 15 Victory

On April 18, 2015, Aljamain Sterling defeated Takeya Mizugaki by submission in the third round at UFC on Fox 15 after Manny Gamburyan pulled out due to injury.

December 10, 2015: UFC Fight Night 80 Win

On December 10, 2015, Aljamain Sterling defeated Johnny Eduardo via submission in the second round at UFC Fight Night 80.

May 29, 2016: UFC Fight Night 88 Loss

On May 29, 2016, Aljamain Sterling faced Bryan Caraway at UFC Fight Night 88 and lost via split decision, despite dominating the first round.

December 9, 2016: Pulled from UFC Fight Night 102

On December 9, 2016, Aljamain Sterling was expected to face Raphael Assunção at UFC Fight Night 102, but Sterling pulled out of the fight on November 23 due to injury.

January 28, 2017: UFC on Fox 23 Loss

On January 28, 2017, Aljamain Sterling faced Raphael Assunção at UFC on Fox 23 and lost the fight via split decision.

April 15, 2017: UFC on Fox 24 Win

On April 15, 2017, Aljamain Sterling faced Augusto Mendes at UFC on Fox 24 and won the fight by unanimous decision.

July 29, 2017: UFC 214 Victory

On July 29, 2017, Aljamain Sterling faced Renan Barão at UFC 214 in a catchweight bout of 140 lbs, after the CSAC would not license Barão to compete at bantamweight, and Sterling won by unanimous decision.

November 7, 2017: Rani Yahya Pulls Out of UFC Fight Night 123

On November 7, 2017, Rani Yahya pulled out of the scheduled fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC Fight Night 123 due to injury.

December 9, 2017: UFC Fight Night 123 Loss

On December 9, 2017, Aljamain Sterling faced Marlon Moraes at UFC Fight Night 123, losing the fight via KO in the first round.

April 21, 2018: UFC Fight Night 128 Victory

On April 21, 2018, Aljamain Sterling faced Brett Johns at UFC Fight Night 128 and won the fight via unanimous decision.

September 8, 2018: UFC 228 Win

On September 8, 2018, Aljamain Sterling faced Cody Stamann at UFC 228 and won the fight via submission in the second round.

February 17, 2019: UFC on ESPN 1 Victory

On February 17, 2019, Aljamain Sterling faced Jimmie Rivera at UFC on ESPN 1 and won the fight by unanimous decision.

June 8, 2019: UFC 238 Win

On June 8, 2019, Aljamain Sterling faced Pedro Munhoz at UFC 238 and won the fight by unanimous decision.

June 6, 2020: UFC 250 Win and Performance of the Night

On June 6, 2020, Aljamain Sterling faced Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250, winning by submission in the first round and earning a Performance of the Night bonus.

December 12, 2020: UFC 256 Bout Scrapped

On December 12, 2020, Aljamain Sterling was expected to face Petr Yan for the UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 256. However, the bout was scrapped from the card due to undisclosed reasons.

December 22, 2020: Wrestling and Grappling Match at NLWC IV

On December 22, 2020, Aljamain Sterling wrestled and grappled against Roman Bravo-Young at NLWC IV, losing the first match by points (6-4) but winning the second one by submission.

March 6, 2021: UFC Bantamweight Championship Victory

On March 6, 2021, Aljamain Sterling faced Petr Yan at UFC 259 for the UFC Bantamweight Championship and won by disqualification due to an intentional illegal knee in the fourth round, becoming the new champion and the first in UFC history to win a title by disqualification.

October 30, 2021: Withdrawal from UFC 267

On October 30, 2021, Aljamain Sterling was expected to have a rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 267, but Sterling withdrew from the contest on September 25 due to lingering neck issues from surgery.

March 5, 2022: Rematch Pushed Back

On March 5, 2022, the rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan was initially rescheduled to UFC 272, but the bout was pushed back to UFC 273 on April 9.

August 13, 2022: High Rollerz 18 Victory

On August 13, 2022, Aljamain Sterling competed in submission grappling, defeating Damien Nitkin at High Rollerz 18.

October 22, 2022: UFC 280 Title Defense

On October 22, 2022, at UFC 280, Aljamain Sterling successfully defended his title against T.J. Dillashaw. Sterling won via TKO in the second round following a shoulder dislocation suffered by Dillashaw in the first, marking Sterling's first victory by strikes in nearly eight years.

May 6, 2023: UFC 288 Title Defense

On May 6, 2023, at UFC 288, Aljamain Sterling faced Henry Cejudo and won the fight by split decision, retaining his title.

August 19, 2023: UFC 292 Title Loss

On August 19, 2023, at UFC 292, Aljamain Sterling faced Sean O'Malley and lost the fight by second-round technical knockout, losing his title.

September 30, 2023: Polaris 25 Victory

On September 30, 2023, Aljamain Sterling was originally booked to compete against Nathaniel Wood at Polaris 25. After Wood withdrew he faced Mike Grundy and defeated him by decision.

December 30, 2023: Fury Pro Grappling 8 Loss

On December 30, 2023, Aljamain Sterling faced Kevin Dantzler in the main event of Fury Pro Grappling 8 and lost the bout by decision, a result Sterling criticized.

January 19, 2024: ADXC 2 Victory

On January 19, 2024, Aljamain Sterling competed against Chase Hooper in the main event of ADXC 2 and won the match by split decision.

April 13, 2024: UFC 300 Victory

On April 13, 2024, Aljamain Sterling moved up to the featherweight division and faced Calvin Kattar at UFC 300, winning the fight by unanimous decision. He later admitted he would have considered retirement if he had lost.

July 25, 2024: Karate Combat's Pit Submission Series 7 Victory

On July 25, 2024, Aljamain Sterling faced Jay Jay Wilson at Karate Combat's Pit Submission Series 7 and won the bout by points in the overtime round.

September 17, 2024: UFC Featherweight Ranking

On September 17, 2024, Aljamain Sterling was ranked #9 in the UFC featherweight rankings.

October 5, 2024: Withdrawal from UFC 307

On October 5, 2024, Aljamain Sterling was scheduled to face Movsar Evloev at UFC 307, but he withdrew from the fight due to an injury sustained in sparring.