Title fight win over Dillashaw
At UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev on Oct 22, 2022, Sterling beat TJ Dillashaw in a title fight.
MMAUFCFeatherweightOrthodox
Aljamain Sterling
United StatesAge, record, fight history and next fightAljamain Sterling is a UFC fighter who beat Henry Cejudo in a title fight at UFC 288 on May 6, 2023.
31 pro fights23 UFC fights5 title fights
Updated
About Aljamain Sterling
Born on July 31, 1989, in Uniondale, New York, United States, Aljamain Sterling began his professional career in 2010 and fights from the orthodox stance. He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Matt Serra. In his first UFC fight, Sterling beat Cody Gibson by unanimous decision at UFC 170: Rousey vs McMann on Feb 22, 2014. Sterling fought at Bantamweight in the UFC from 2014 to 2023, and he has fought at Featherweight in the UFC since 2024.
Agatha Research DeskUpdated Oct 23, 2026Fight history23
Every UFC fight in our records, newest first. A gold mark is a title fight.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result | Method | Rd | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2026 | UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal | Youssef Zalal | W | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Aug 23, 2025 | UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang | Brian Ortega | W | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Dec 7, 2024 | UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura | Movsar Evloev | L | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Apr 13, 2024 | UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill | Calvin Kattar | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Aug 19, 2023 | UFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley | Sean O'Malley | L | KO/TKO | 2 | 0:51 |
| May 6, 2023 | UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo | Henry Cejudo | W | Decision (split) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Oct 22, 2022 | UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev | TJ Dillashaw | W | KO/TKO | 2 | 3:44 |
| Apr 9, 2022 | UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie | Petr Yan | W | Decision (split) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Mar 6, 2021 | UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya | Petr Yan | W | Disqualification | 4 | 4:29 |
| Jun 6, 2020 | UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer | Cory Sandhagen | W | Submission | 1 | 1:28 |
| Jun 8, 2019 | UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes | Pedro Munhoz | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Feb 17, 2019 | UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs. Velasquez | Jimmie Rivera | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
Show 11 more
| Sep 8, 2018 | UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till | Cody Stamann | W | Submission | 2 | 3:42 |
| Apr 21, 2018 | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee | Brett Johns | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Dec 9, 2017 | UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega | Marlon Moraes | L | KO/TKO | 1 | 1:07 |
| Jul 29, 2017 | UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2 | Renan Barao | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Apr 15, 2017 | UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Reis | Augusto Mendes | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Jan 28, 2017 | UFC on FOX: Shevchenko vs. Pena | Raphael Assuncao | L | Decision (split) | 3 | 5:00 |
| May 29, 2016 | UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs Garbrandt | Bryan Caraway | L | Decision (split) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Dec 10, 2015 | UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant | Johnny Eduardo | W | Submission | 2 | 4:18 |
| Apr 18, 2015 | UFC on FOX: Machida vs Rockhold | Takeya Mizugaki | W | Submission | 3 | 2:11 |
| Jul 16, 2014 | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs Miller | Hugo Viana | W | KO/TKO | 3 | 3:50 |
| Feb 22, 2014 | UFC 170: Rousey vs McMann | Cody Gibson | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
How he is doing now
UFC record18-523 fights since 2014
Since moving up2-1at featherweight, since 2024
Last fightApr 25beat Youssef Zalal
Last 53-2WWLWLNewest first. Two wins in a row.
Next fight
Tale of the tapeFirst meeting
| Sterling | Measure | Vallejos |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | Age | 24 |
| 26-5-0 | Pro record | 18-1-0 |
| 18-5 | UFC record | 4-0 |
| 5 ft 7 in | Height | 5 ft 7 in |
| 71 in | Reach | 68 in |
| Orthodox | Stance | Switch |
Did you know?!
Title fight win over Yan
Sterling beat Petr Yan in a title fight at UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie on Apr 9, 2022.
Career
16years2010 to 2026
- 2014UFC debutBeat Cody Gibson
- Mar 2021ChampionBeat Petr Yan
- Aug 2023Lost the beltSean O'Malley
- 2024FeatherweightMoved up a division
- Apr 25, 2026Latest fightBeat Youssef Zalal
Title fights
- Aug 19, 2023: lost vs Sean O'MalleyUFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley
- May 6, 2023: won vs Henry CejudoUFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo
- Oct 22, 2022: won vs TJ DillashawUFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev
- Apr 9, 2022: won vs Petr YanUFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie
- Mar 6, 2021: won vs Petr YanUFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya
How his UFC fights ended
17 wins
KO/TKO 2Submission 4Decision 11
5 losses
KO/TKO 2Decision 3
Divisions
- Featherweight: 2-12024 to 2026, 3 UFC fights
- Bantamweight: 14-42014 to 2023, 18 UFC fights
First UFC fight
Feb 22, 2014: beat Cody Gibson by unanimous decisionUFC 170: Rousey vs McMann, round 3, 5:00
Latest fight
Apr 25, 2026: beat Youssef Zalal by unanimous decisionFight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal, round 5, 5:00
Most often against
The fighters he has met more than once in the UFC, with the result of each run.
Petr Yan2 fights, 2 for a title
2-0Sterling leads
Mar 6, 2021 to Apr 9, 2022
He has met 21 other UFC opponents once each.
Sources and updates
Fights, records and schedules come from Agatha's own records: ESPN's fighter records and results, and the UFC fight history in our data.
Updated Oct 26, 2026, 7:45 AM ET. Results and form refresh after every fight; biography facts are checked weekly.