Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently gave a fan the experience of a lifetime by agreeing to spar with him in both grappling and striking sessions. The encounter, which took place at Sterling’s training facility, featured Tony, a Pennsylvania resident who makes content grappling with professional athletes.
The session began with grappling, where Sterling and Tony agreed to compete in a first-to-three-taps format over five-minute rounds. Despite the significant skill gap between a UFC champion and an amateur enthusiast, Tony showed heart and determination throughout the exchange.
Sterling dominated the grappling portion as expected, showcasing the technical prowess that made him one of the best wrestlers in the UFC’s bantamweight division.
The two then moved on to a light sparring session, where Tony showed that he was more than willing to stand and trade with the former UFC champion. Sterling was clearly the more experienced and technically polished athlete for much of the exchange, controlling the action and finding success with his strikes.
The real surprise came when the two decided to do some light striking work. During the standup sparring session, Tony landed a body kick that caught Sterling perfectly, causing the former champion to stumble and go down momentarily.
Sterling immediately clarified that the kick wasn’t thrown with full power, but it hit the right spot at the right angle, comparing it to a precision liver shot.
Throughout the session, Sterling proved to be both gracious and educational, discussing his past matches including his controversial loss to Henry Cejudo, which he believed he won.
He also shared insights about the top grapplers he faced during his career, naming Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili as standouts, with Cejudo being the only opponent to successfully take him down with a traditional wrestling shot.
