UFC 'realist' Aljamain Sterling says money has him rethinking MMA

Aljamain Sterling

So you wanna be an MMA fighter? If you ask Aljamain Sterling about it, he might try to steer you in a different direction.

Sterling (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), an unbeaten UFC bantamweight, is a former Ring of Combat champion. He’s a former CFFC champion. And his wins for that East Coast-based promotion got the Matt Serra-Ray Longo-trained New Yorker his shot in the UFC – where he’s perfect and has back-to-back stoppage wins.

But on Wednesday, “The Funk Master” said on his official Facebook page he’s a “realist” who thinks the numbers might not add up to him sticking around in the sport for long.

“This ‘is my shot’ is slowly starting to feel like this ‘was my shot,'” Sterling said on Facebook. “I’m a realist and in doing the math, I will not be able to have a financially stable future if things don’t change. I teach my students to focus on what you can control and the only thing in my control right now is furthering my education and hoping I get my big break into MMA.”

Sterling implied financial concerns, as well as health concerns, were a factor in his posting.

“… If you aren’t at the top of the game in your division, count your blessings if you’re able to retire with any money, and with your body and brain intact,” he stated.

Sterling made $16,000 in disclosed salary for his UFC debut win over Cody Gibson at UFC 170 in February 2014 – $8,000 to show and an $8,000 win bonus. His disclosed paydays for his next two wins – a third-round TKO of Hugo Viana at UFC Fight Night 45 in July 2014 and a third-round submission of Takeya Mizugaki at UFC on FOX 15 in April – were not reported.

Sterling had two fights in the first six and a half months of 2014. He was booked for a third in October of that year, but pulled out with an injury. A month later, he was set to fight Frankie Saenz, and when a Saenz injury forced him out, Michael Imperato was called in. But that fight fell apart, and Sterling was left without a fight.

Six months went by before Sterling got back in against Mizugaki in Newark, N.J., in April. With October just around the corner, and many of the UFC’s upcoming cards booked, if Sterling finds a fight before year’s end, it may not be until December – giving him only two fights in 2015.

“Ultimately, this path was my choice and I have no regrets,” Sterling stated. “Just things I’d like to do better and recommend others to do better than I did. At the end of the day, I love this game.”

The question just remains if he’ll love the game with a new opponent soon or not.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.