Aljamain Sterling picked up the biggest win of his UFC career with a unanimous decision win over former champion Renan Barao on Saturday night in Anaheim.
The fight was actually at 140 pounds because the California State Athletic Commission wouldn’t allow Barao to compete at bantamweight after a disastrous weight cut forced him out of a previous bout in the stage.
Ultimately the weight didn’t seem to matter much as Sterling pushed the pace over three rounds while Barao looked exhausted by the time the final horn sounded.
Some early striking gave way to a scramble on the ground where Sterling looked to grab onto a leg lock while Barao was able to stay patient before escaping to land on top. From there, Barao opened up his offense with an active striking game on top, landing several hard punches from inside Sterling’s guard.
Sterling countered with a very active jiu-jitsu game from the bottom where he attempted an arm bar and a triangle choke, but both came up short as Barao was more than ready for the submission attempts before he slipped free.
The second round saw a shift in momentum as Sterling took advantage of an early Barao submission attempt as he quickly latched onto the former bantamweight champion and moved to take the back. Barao had never been taken down previously in his UFC career, but Sterling was determined to drag him to the mat where he locked onto the back and started to go to work.
RELATED >