Many were expecting former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan to reclaim the title at UFC 273. “No Mercy” was even a heavy betting favorite at -490 during fight week while “Funkmaster” was a sizable underdog at +360.
Sterling ended up winning the fight and defending the title via decision, which couldn’t make his team any happier. But for his striking coach Ray Longo, the victory proved a few important things.
“What happened to the boogeyman? He’s not the boogeyman anymore – Aljo’s the boogeyman now,” Longo said in his Monday interview on The MMA Hour.