Victorious Aljamain Sterling has a message for Dominick Cruz – and the haters

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – High off a dominant win, Aljamain Sterling had a few messages – one for former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, and one for “the haters.”

On Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 128 main card, which aired on FS1 from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., Sterling (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) picked up a unanimous-decision win over previously unbeaten Brett Johns (15-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) with 30-27 scores across the board.

Sterling, who’s No. 13 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, relied on his ever-reliable wrestling, but he also mixed in a lot of striking for a well-balanced performance.

Afterward, he called for a fight with former titleholder and current FOX Sports UFC analyst Cruz (22-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

Why the callout? Because he thinks Cruz might actually be receptive to it – even if he believes “The Dominator’s” perceived reasons may be flawed.

“I think it’s the right time,” Steling said. “I see him sitting there behind the desk. I don’t think he wants to fight anybody unless it’s for the belt, but I think this is a fight where he thinks it might not be a dangerous fight for him in terms of being knocked out or something like that. So I think he’d be more willing to oblige to a matchup like this.

“And I think if there’s a big name I can take out, why not shoot for the stars and see what we can get? I think everyone else is booked up, and I beat him, I’m right here for the title shot.”

After a 12-0 start to his career, Sterling has gone 3-3. But he’d be 5-1 if two narrow split decisions to Bryan Caraway and Raphael Assuncao had gone his way. December’s knockout loss to Marlon Moraes was admittedly a “hiccup” with a definitive conclusion, but with a victory over well-regarded Johns, Sterling is feeling good.

“I was just glad I was about to open up a lot more with the hands and have some fun exchanges for the fans, and I got to win those exchanges too,” he said. “That’s what this sh-t is all about, man. I had a good time out there. I had some fun.

“And I let the haters know: We’re back, baby.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 128, check out the UFC Events section of the site.