Can the ‘Funk Master’ Get Back on Track and Continue His Climb Towards a Two-Division Champion?
The Former Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling returns to the Octagon this Saturday for UFC Fight Night: Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang. He will be taking on Brian Ortega in the co-main event. Both fighters are coming off a loss in their last time in the cage and will be looking to bounce back and get themselves back in the title picture for the now two-time Featherweight Champion, Alexander Volkanovski. Can the ‘Funk Master’ get one step closer to a shot at becoming a two-division champion, or will ‘T-City’ show him why he was once a title challenger not too long ago?
Aljamain Sterling is one of the best Bantamweight Champions of all time. In a short time, he raked up an impressive resume and showed that even with his average level, his striking pressure and grappling ability can overwhelm anyone. After losing his title to Sean O’Malley, he decided to move to 145 and try his hand at becoming a two-division champion. His first fight at Featherweight was at UFC 300 against Calvin Kattar, and he showed that he is still just as big and strong, and was able to ragdoll him on his way to victory. In his last fight, he was matched up with the undefeated Movsar Evloev and was able to make it highly competitive and his more than his share of moments throughout the fight. It was a razor-thin close fight and could have gone either way. In this fight against Ortega, I think he will be able to walk forward and land some good shots, and potentially go for a takedown and try and get his back. If he isn’t able to get his back even with how good Aljo is on the ground, I don’t see him staying there with how good Ortega’s grappling is. He will be able to keep this fight at a distance and pressure him up against the fence to seek out a victory, most likely by decision.
Brain Ortega has fought twice already for the Featherweight Championship, and after his last loss at UFC Noche against Diego Lopes, many believed he would be moving up to 155 to try his luck there. Ortega’s striking has never been a strong suit for him, but he has a solid chin, and if the fight gets to the ground, he can finish it in the blink of an eye. In terms of cardio, he will have the advantage, so when Sterling starts to tire, he could potentially secure a takedown or pull guard and try his best to lock up a submission. If Aljo suits him, he has to be careful because Ortega has a dangerous guillotine choke. The scrambles in this fight, if they do decide to wrestle, are going to be exciting and action packed but Ortega is going to have to bank on Aljo making a mistake for him to gain the upper hand and potentially submit him.
This is a matchup that fans have been wanting ever since Sterling decided to make the move up to Featherweight. This should be an intense grappler showcase with multiple twists and turns happening throughout the entire fight. Both fighters can lock up a submission whenever this fight gets to the ground, so either fighter could win. You're not going to want to miss this fight and all the other action this Saturday, August 23rd, with a main card start time of 6:00 a.m. EST.
