Calvin Kattar and Aljamain Sterling at UFC 300 ceremonial weigh-in Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press
Aljamain Sterling made his long-awaited move to featherweight on Saturday night at the historic UFC 300 in Las Vegas.
Returning from a long break to face perennial winner Calvin Cathal, there were quite a few question marks surrounding the match, mainly why former bantamweight champion Sterling looked 10 pounds heavier and how There were questions surrounding whether he had been seriously injured and had been involved in several wars. About Qatar.
Sterling got off to a very strong start and was able to defeat Qatar midway through the first round. “Human Backpack” wasted no time and tried to get on the Bostonian’s back, but Catal dodged him. Sterling was able to take Catal down four times in the opening round.
Less than a minute into the round, Sterling had Kattar down and got his fifth takedown of the match. Sterling was fast and looked strong in the clinch and on the ground. Qatar’s reluctance to step forward was taking its toll, but Sterling was making the most of it.
After a lackluster first and second round, Qatar’s corner gave him a boost. Sterling quickly got back to work, taking down Cathal and establishing clinch control. Sterling fought back as Catal tried to get to his feet and the power bombed him towards the canvas. The former champion completely nullified the Qatari bout en route to a flawless victory in his featherweight debut.
Official result: Aljamain Sterling defeats Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
