UFC on FOX 23's Aljamain Sterling: People will be very surprised by my progress since first loss

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Aljamain Sterling believes fans are going to see a different fighter than the one who suffered his first career loss eight months ago when he returns to the octagon on Saturday at UFC on FOX 23.

After starting his career with 12-straight wins, Sterling experienced his first setback as a professional at UFC Fight Night 88 in May when he was narrowly edged in a split decision courtesy of Bryan Caraway.

Sterling (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) failed to live up to his position as the hefty favorite in the fight, but said it taught him a valuable lesson going into arguably an even more significant contest with Raphael Assuncao (23-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) this weekend.

“I honestly just put it behind me,” Sterling today told MMAjunkie of the defeat to Caraway. “I’ve lost before. I’ve lost a split-decision fight when I was an amateur and I came back and avenged that loss and won a unanimous decision. You take it for what it is. You put it in your back pocket and you move forward.

“You can’t sit there and dwell on the loss. Look how many champions there are out there who have had losses. It’s just another bump in the road. I learned a lot of good lessons in that fight and it’s just another story in my book.”

UFC on FOX 23 takes place Saturday at Pepsi Center in Denver. Sterling vs. Assuncao airs on the FS1-televised prelims following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on FOX.

Sterling, No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, was supposed to return to the octagon for the bout with No. 4-ranked Assuncao at UFC Fight Night 102 in December. However, an injury to Sterling postponed the matchup until UFC on FOX 23.

After Sterling withdrew from the initial date, there was some concern he wouldn’t get rebooked against Assuncao, who had won seven straight UFC fights at 135 pounds before falling to former champion T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 200 in July. He got his desired booking, though, and despite Assuncao being one of the most skilled and experienced members of the division, “Funk Master” thinks it’s a perfect pairing that will bring out the best of what he’s worked on over the past eight months.

“I just couldn’t see who else they would match me up with and I thought he was the perfect opponent to get me back to where I want to be,” Sterling said. “I think I match up with him very, very well. I think my wrestling is going to be a strong point in this game and I think my standup, you’ll be very surprised when you see me inside that octagon. I got what I wanted. I asked for this fight and I got it and now it’s my time once again to step up to the plate.”

At 27, Sterling still has all the attributes of a fighter who could make a big impact in the bantamweight division over the coming years. The loss to Caraway came by the slimmest of margins, and Sterling said that should show he belongs in the conversation with the top-tier members of his weight class.

Sterling received some support to fight for the title before he crossed paths with Caraway. Considering Assuncao is ranked higher than Caraway ever has been, Sterling said a win at UFC on FOX 23 should put him right back where he was in early 2016.

“If the cards fall right, I think I could definitely sneak in there and challenge for the title with a win or two,” Sterling said. “I know Cody Garbrandt is now fighting T.J. Dillashaw. Who knows, man. Sometimes people get hurt and you happen to be in the right place at the right time. I could win this fight and something could go the right way.”

To hear more from Sterling, check out the video above.

For more on UFC on FOX 23, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.