It may not have looked like it, but Aljamain Sterling was in survival mode down that stretch at UFC Shanghai.
The former bantamweight champion captured a unanimous decision triumph over Brian Ortega, sweeping the scorecards with a trio of 50-45 tallies in Saturday’s co-main event at Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China. Sterling spent a significant amount of time circling in the final stanza, so much so that he was warned for timidity. “The Funkmaster” was eventually able to ground his opponent and ride out the frame.
Sterling revealed why he adopted that approach during the post-fight show.