This was an intriguing fight, to say the least, as Sterling was expected to be challenged by a fighter with great grappling ability in Dillashaw.Aljamain did a great job of frustrating Petr by side-stepping swiftly around the octagon in big circles, making it extremely difficult for the Russian to connect with any clear shots.But the fight with Sterling didn’t go the way anyone expected.
I Love by Joyner Lucas
Now you know about Sterling’s song choices and a little bit of his recent fight history, check out the complete list of UFC walkout songs or these specific fighters for more:Aljamain won the fight comfortably by decision after five grueling rounds of constant pace.The fight was over pretty early, in the middle of the second round, as the ref stopped the fight since Sterling was mounted on Dillashaw’s back and throwing strikes to the head, winning by TKO stoppage.
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[embedded content]Cory threw a leg kick to the body of Aljamain early in the first round, which was caught and secured a straightforward takedown for the “Funk Master.”This was that controversial fight in which Aljamain Sterling won by Petr’s disqualification due to an illegal knee.It seems that I Love is Aljamain Sterling’s favorite song, which is why he always includes it for his entrances in the UFC.Latest MMA Shorts from the Hive…When Sterling walked out to face Yan for the first time at UFC 259, he entered with his favorite song; I Love by Joyner Lucas.
UFC 280 (Vs. T.J. Dillashaw)
While Petr Yan managed to land a few good combinations in the pocket, Aljamain Sterling managed to spend a lot of the fight accomplishing takedowns and sitting on the back of Yan.
It’s a rap and hip-hop track, released in 2018 as a single, then under the album ADHD in 2020.Both Cory and Aljamain were on their way up the ranks at the time, and it was a prime grappler vs. striker situation.The “Funk Master” has had a controversial few years in the UFC and yet has shown that he has the grappling smarts to make top fighters look mediocre in the cage. But what’s his walkout song?The “Funk Master” entered his UFC 250 fight against Cory Sandhagen to his regular song choice, I Love by Joyner Lucas.If you want to understand more about the Aljamain Sterling walkout song choice, keep scrolling.In an odd transition, Aljamain was slowly returning to his fight but was still considered “grounded” and received an illegal knee to the face from Petr.Sterling’s walkouts have always featured the song I Love by Joyner Lucas. You can listen to it on Spotify.
UFC 273 (Vs Petr Yan)
At the time, and still, to this day, fans and pundits debate the decision.For the second time dancing around the octagon, Sterling was much more convincing.
Aljamain overwhelmed T.J. early on by taking him down to the mat and constantly applying ground-and-pound pressure.Just the year before, T.J. returned to competing in the UFC after a two-year hiatus and ban for PED use and defeated Cory Sandhagen to win back some respect with the UFC.It was maybe less than a minute later, and Sterling had already won the back position of Sandhagen and swiftly choked him out with a rear naked choke.After the fight was over, it became apparent that T.J. had dislocated entirely one of his shoulders early in the fight.So the song probably has some greater internal meanings for Aljamain, and it gets him fired up to fight.A lot of the song is about coming up from nothing and the streets, being in the hustle, being unable to pay your bills, and getting by.
UFC 259 (Vs Petr Yan)
Say what you want about Sterling, but he has the stamina of a bloodhound.Whenever the distance closed slightly, Sterling would throw a big kick to the open body of Yan and then fire a takedown if things got too close for comfort.For Aljamain Sterling’s walkout at UFC 280, he entered with the track Motivation by C. Henry, followed up by his usual I Love by Joyner Lucas.
When Aljamain Sterling walks out to face Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, I expect him to use a new song followed up with I Love by Joyner Lucas. I’ll update here as soon as he takes that walk!But it’s also about overcoming that and reaching the top, where new opponents are ready to challenge you.
UFC 250 (Vs. Cory Sandhagen)
It was his rematch with Petr Yan that the fans demanded since Sterling won their first fight with a sketchy illegal knee.Petr was frankly dominating Aljamain in that fight as he couldn’t keep up with his boxing and wasn’t getting the takedowns he relied on.
Aljamain Sterling’s walkout song is primarily I Love by Joyner Lucas. But his walkouts sometimes include additional songs for his entrance. Those were Motivation by C. Henry for UFC 280 and Farruko by Pepas for UFC 273.At UFC 273, Aljamain walked out to Farruko by Pepas, followed by his usual I Love by Joyner Lucas.
More walkout songs
It’s something he had surgery to fix, but it seems that it could never regain the same stability, and it pushed him to retire from MMA.
