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Aljamain Sterling ready to dominate Petr Yan on the ground: ‘I like to think that I am the Khabib of my division’

Over the past few years, Aljamain Sterling has worked tirelessly to develop every aspect of his skillset to match the ground game that helped establish him as a serious threat in the bantamweight division.

As a former NCAA Division III All-American wrestler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Sterling’s grappling credentials are among the best in the world at 135 pounds but he understands that not every fight will end up on the canvas. That’s why he’s done everything possible to build up his striking arsenal to match what he can do on the ground.

In fact, Sterling has shown off how much he’s learned in recent fights, including a three-round showcase against Pedro Munhoz where he was determined to out strike the Brazilian, who was coming off a knockout win over former champion Cody Garbrandt.