Streaking UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling is ready to return to action after helping his girlfriend recover from the COVID-19 … A professional since 2011, he made a name for himself competing in Cage Fury Fighting Championships, where he won and defended the Bantamweight Championship. [38] The fight was initially contracted to be contested at bantamweight, however on June 28, the CSAC announced that they would not license Barão to compete at that weight due to his struggle to make the required weight at UFC 177. Said Nurmagomedov needed just 51 seconds to dispatch Mark Striegl as the Russian earned a knockdown and then followed with some vicous ground and pound to get the finish. [25] However, Gamburyan pulled out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by Takeya Mizugaki. It wasn’t an easy take, but one that now has “Funk Master” set up for a quick UFC return. “I told her if she does ever want to talk about it, she’s more than welcome to come on my podcast and talk about it. The 30-year-old UFC veteran did what he needed to do to keep his girlfriend safe and on the path to recovery from the very dangerous coronavirus. [10] After the freshman year, Sterling transferred to Cortland and eventually became a two-time NCAA Division III All-American with record of 87-27. She had a ton of messages. Because she worked at a hospital, Cruz immediately took a test for COVID-19, and after waiting a few days, the results came back positive. Aljamain Sterling "Funk Master" Born: 1989-07-31 AGE: 31 Cortland, New York United States. My last fight was June 8. Aljamain Antoine Sterling[5] (born July 31, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist of Jamaican descent. [28], Sterling next faced Bryan Caraway on May 29, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 88. Back when there was talk about Sterling fighting Sandhagen on May 16th, the New York fighter didn’t disclose that his girlfriend, Rebecca Cruz, had contracted the virus. Ultimately, Cruz fought through the virus and made a full recovery while Sterling avoided any symptoms related to the deadly disease. “I felt I was doing a pretty good job of keeping my immune system up and strong,” Sterling said. Sterling was expected to face Manvel Gamburyan on April 18, 2015 at UFC on Fox 15. She had a ton of messages. “I felt I was doing a pretty good job of keeping my immune system up and strong,” Sterling said. They were infected and they didn’t know if there was another side for them. Because he last fought in June 2019, Sterling is no longer willing to wait, especially now that his girlfriend is healthy again and he can put his full focus back on training. [14] Although this would turn out to be his last bout under the Ring of Combat organization, as he would later sign with Cage Fury Fighting Championships. As soon as reports surfaced that the New York native was going to face Cory Sandhagen on May 16 at a card originally scheduled in San Diego, Sterling was quick to shoot down the rumors while offering a fiery response to anyone badmouthing his decision. Sterling’s girlfriend Rebecca Cruz first talked about her battle with COVID-19 on his podcast called “The Weekly Scraps” where she spoke about falling ill just as the outbreak started to really hit in the U.S. She dealt with shortness of breath as well as struggling to taste foods, but once she spiked a fever, there was no doubt something was wrong. “It wasn’t my story to tell so I didn’t want to talk about it until she was willing to talk about it,” Sterling said. 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