Former UFC featherweight champion Aljamain Sterling shared his experience of running into heavyweight title holder Jon Jones at a bar just one week before Jones's fight.
[When I started my MMA career] I’m thinking I have to live a life of a monk. I got to be super disciplined. I’m thinking this is what Jon Jones is doing… And then I see him at the bar, maybe two or three fights in the UFC. He’s probably got a fight like a week later, and he’s getting smashed… and he’s offering me a drink.
"Before, I used to give up everything I enjoyed in life to make training more pleasant. I thought I had to sacrifice everything. Then I realized it came down to mental. Like, if you believe that one drink or those two nights out on two and a half weeks apart is going to tear down an entire training camp, then maybe you just didn’t prepare enough," Sterling said.
It’s worth noting that on December 8, in Las Vegas at UFC 310, Sterling lost to Movsar Evloev by unanimous decision. Aljamain's previous fight was in April 2024 at UFC 300, where he won against Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision. His record now stands at 24 wins and 5 losses.
Jones last fought in the octagon against Stipe Miocic in November this year at UFC 309. That match ended in the third round by technical knockout in favor of Jones, who now has 28 wins, 1 loss, and 1 no-contest on his record.
