As a child, life was never easy for Aljamain Sterling - he had to grow up in a cramped household with his large family, take charge to make sure the house was in order, and endure years of mental and physical abuse at the hands of his father.
Understandably, this took its toll on Aljamain, who, along with his siblings, felt broken and lacked direction.
But despite his tough upbringing, Aljamain was determined to move on from his darkest days.
To help him achieve this, one of Aljamain’s best friends convinced him to enter the world of wrestling. Aljo went ahead with it, and for the first time in his life, he felt like he actually mattered.
After a few years in the wrestling space, Aljamain developed a keen interest in MMA, a time during which he crossed paths with one of the biggest names in the industry - Jon Jones.
It didn’t take long for Aljamain to make a name for himself in the octagon, with his unorthodox fighting style earning him the title of ‘Funk Master,’ a name that he still goes by today.
By the latter stages of 2020, Aljamain became the Number 1 ranked fighter in the UFC’s bantamweight division - a real marker of just how far he had come since the troubled times of his youth.
Quick Stats
- Height: 5'7"
- Average Weight: 61kg (135 lbs)
- Date of Birth: July 31, 1989
- Place of Birth: New York, United States
Fight History
20 Wins, 3 Losses as of March 2021
- March 6, 2021 - Win vs. Petr Yan at UFC 259
- June 6, 2020 - Win vs. Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250
- June 8, 2019 - Win vs. Pedro Munhoz at UFC 238
- Feb 17, 2019 - Win vs. Jimmie Rivera
- Sep 8, 2018 - Win vs. Cody Stamann at UFC 228
- April 21, 2018 - Win vs. Brett Johns at UFC Fight Night 128
- Dec 09, 2017 - Loss vs Marlon Moraes at UFC Fight Night 123
- July 29, 2017 - Win vs. Renan Barao at UFC 214
- April 15, 2017 - Win vs. Augusto Mendes
- Jan 28, 2017 - Loss vs. Raphael Assuncao
- May 29, 2016 - Loss vs. Bryan Caraway at UFC Fight Night 88
- Dec 10, 2015 - Win vs. Johnny Eduardo at UFC Fight Night 80
- April 18, 2015 - Win vs. Takeya Mizugaki
- July 16, 2014 - Win vs. Hugo Viana at UFC Fight Night 45
- Feb 22, 2014 - Win vs. Cody Gibson at UFC 170 (First UFC Fight)
- Nov 2, 2013 - Win vs. Joel Roberts at CFFC 30
- Aug 24, 2012 - Win vs. Sidemar Honorio at CFFC 16
- April 14, 2012 - Win vs. Casey Johnson at CFFC 14
- Oct 22, 2011 - Win vs. Sean Santella at CFFC 11
- July 23, 2011 - Win vs. Evan Chmielski at CFFC 10
- Jun 17, 2011 - Win vs. Claudio Ledesma at ROC 36
- May 21, 2011 - Win vs. Harley Leimbach at EFC - Bragging Rights 2
- April 22, 2011 - Win vs. Sergio da Silva at UCC 4 - Supremacy
Aljamain Sterling Biography
Aljamain Sterling is an American professional mixed martial artist hailing from Uniondale, New York. Born in July 1989 to Jamaican parents, Aljo grew up alongside his seven full siblings and twelve half-siblings.
Because of his large family, space was tight in the Sterling family home, but his parents did everything they could to make ends meet despite the challenging circumstances they found themselves in.
During his youth, Aljamain’s main priority was helping his family, which allowed him to develop a mature, responsible attitude from an early age. Whether it was doing chores around the house, taking care of his brothers and sisters, or otherwise, Aljamain would do anything he could to play his part.
Despite this, Aljamain was belittled by his abusive father while growing up, which made him and his siblings feel ‘small, weak, stupid, and useless.’ To make matters worse, Aljamain got the worst of it, and he was even referred to by his father as ‘the little man of the house.’
But as he got older, Aljamain was determined to push past the negativity and avoid the prevalent gang life some of his brothers had fallen into. At this point, Aljamain took the initiative to enter the world of combat sports by starting wrestling at Uniondale High School in 2004.
Unable to reach Division I, Aljamain enrolled at Morrisville State College to press forward with his wrestling ambitions. It was at this point, he met Jon Jones and trained on the wrestling team - his interest in MMA was born not long after.
Aljamain later transferred to the State University of New York College at Cortland, during which he became a two-time NCAA Division III All-American with an 87-27 record.
Aljamain continued to train hard, making a name for himself as a mixed martial artist while taking part in regular high-intensity workouts at BombSquad in Ithaca, New York.
After a few years of training here, Aljamain transferred to the Serra-Longo Fight Team, by which point he’d already turned pro as a mixed martial artist.
Nowadays, after spending over a decade in the octagon, Aljo maintains an ultimate desire to win, with his status as the UFC bantamweight title holder a true marker of his success.
What Diet Does Aljo Sterling Follow?
As a professional mixed martial artist, Aljamain must follow a strict diet throughout the year to meet his fitness goals and make weight before his fights.
To stay on track, Aljamain consumes a diet full of protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables, which fuels his high-intensity training sessions, allows him to recover efficiently, and maintains his hard-earned muscle.
However, during periods of cutting weight, Aljo admits that he often struggles physically and mentally. Despite this, he remains committed to giving his body everything it needs so he can keep more muscle, burn more fat, and make his target weight a lot easier.
These are just some of the reasons Aljo takes Burn Lab Pro, which he says ‘helps him become a world champion.’
What We Can Learn From Aljamain Sterling
The path to success wasn’t an easy one for Aljamain - he endured a difficult childhood, had to step up to the mark under difficult circumstances, and because of his father’s actions, he was left a broken child with a lack of direction.
But despite how difficult things got, Aljamain never gave up. He was determined to push beyond the years of hurt and pain and positively channel the anger within him.
That’s when he found wrestling - a sport that gave him a sense of belonging, helped him become confident in his abilities, and acquire a high level of self-motivation that would serve him well later in life.
Fast forward to the present day, and Aljamain has made a successful career in the octagon - becoming one of the biggest names in the UFC.
If we can learn anything from Aljo ‘Funk Master’ Sterling, it’s that even when times are tough, anything is possible as long as you have the strength, hard work, and determination to see you through your darkest days.
