From College Friends to MMA Stars

Aljamain Sterling and Jon Jones have known each other since their college days. They attended the same school before Sterling transferred. A while later, Sterling became inspired by Jones’ posts on social media, where Jones showcased his MMA training. This led Sterling to make the decision to start training alongside Jones. Their journey took them from college students to training partners and, eventually, to competitors in the same MMA organization. Sterling shared this fascinating story on Demetrious Johnson’s podcast.

– “We went to college together. When he was in the UFC, I hit him up on MySpace, and that’s when I found out he was training super close to my school. I reached out to him. He told me to come by the gym, and I did the next day. Since then, I’ve never stopped training,” Sterling recalled.

Sterling Shocked by Jones’ Partying Habits

The former bantamweight champion continued by expressing how shocked he was by Jones, not just inside the octagon but also outside of it. Over the years, Jones has gained a reputation as something of a party guy, and Sterling confirmed this image. He recalled a specific time when he promised Jones he would join him for a night out. To Sterling’s surprise, they went out even though Jones had a fight scheduled in the near future.

– “I used to see this man, a week before his fight, completely wild in the bar. My mentality was to stay away from sex, drinking, smoking. That’s what champions do, so I accepted that. Then I see him (Jones) in the bar. That same weekend, he went into the octagon and murdered someone on international TV,” Sterling revealed.

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Inspired by Jon Jones’ Success

Despite Jones’ wild lifestyle, his career has been nothing short of legendary. Sterling admitted that Jones’ success inspired him. This inspiration, combined with Sterling’s evolving understanding of his body and health, has helped him enjoy his training, even during grueling fight camps. He attributes much of his own success to the hard work and dedication he’s learned over time.

– “It’s about mentality. If you just put in the work, everything will fall into place,” Sterling said.

Sterling recently moved up to the featherweight division and fought Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. In this bout, he dominated from start to finish, securing a unanimous decision victory. The former bantamweight champion was scheduled to face Movsar Evloev at UFC 307 next weekend, but a recent injury forced him to withdraw from the fight. It remains to be seen when Sterling will return and who his next opponent will be.

Source: MMAnytt.se