The UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, sometimes feels as if he’s not getting the attention he deserves from the organization’s brass. Specifically, he told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he feels like “the red headed stepchild” of the fighting promotion. “Sometimes I feel like, for lack of better terms, the cliché, the red headed stepchild.
Sometimes I do [feel like that]. It’s not with everybody in the UFC. Certain people that probably matter the most. I guess it’s not always the best feeling to be on that side, but I roll with the punches. I’m going to do me, no matter what. But I just don’t feel like I get the push like maybe some others do.
Aljamain Sterling Feels like “The Red Headed Step Child” of the UFC
Or maybe I’m just in my own head.” Or maybe not. Aljamain Sterling is relatively rare among UFC champions in his willingness to publicly discuss his issues with the organization, including when it comes to finances. That’s a facet of the game Aljamain Sterling is trying to work on.
“If you were to ask the brass, they probably would say no, but then again, I don’t know. I’m just here rolling with the punches.
That’s the best way I can put that. But it’s hard to know what these guys are really thinking. I don’t think any of us know what they’re actually thinking, in terms of the upper echelons of the UFC, and the only thing you can try to hope for is that they like you and you’re in their good graces. That’s really all there is to it.
Do your job, hopefully you do it well, and hopefully you get rewarded handsomely for it.” How does he plan on fixing his “stepchild” reputation? “I’m trying. I’m working on it.
I’ve been trying. I know the guys are busy and the world doesn’t just stop for me, but hopefully we get things figured out and kind of figure out the working relationship, because at the end of the day, we’re all business partners. I want to help them make money, I want them to help me make money, and I think that’s the best way you can look at a relationship like that.”
Aljamain Sterling is set to defend his title against former champ T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 this October. Does Sterling get the credit he deserves? Let us know what you think in the comments.
